‘I would cry in front of Mannat’: Singer on refusing ‘insane money’ from Shah Rukh after Diljit Dosanjh replaced him in Ba***ds of Bollywood song

The Ba***ds of Bollywood’s viral track “Tainu Ki Pata”, which marks Manoj Pahwa’s hilarious entry and his lifelong dream of becoming a playback singer, was not supposed to be originally sung by Diljit Dosanjh. In fact, it was originally recorded by singer Divya Kumar — the singer behind soulful hits like “Shubharambh”, “Sun Saathiya” and “Hawan Karenge’. In a recent interview, Divya opened up about how he was replaced in the final version of the song, and the emotional journey that came with it.

“I had received a great opportunity from Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment. It was for Aryan Khan’s Ba**ds of Bollywood,” he recalled in an interview with Digital Commentary. “I had originally sung Tainu Ki Pata, but later they replaced it with Diljit Dosanjh’s voice. They offered me an insane amount of money to compensate, but I refused to take it. I rejected the money because it was Shah Rukh Khan’s company. I had tears in my eyes when I was sitting in his office,” the singer added.

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Divya Kumar’s reason for turning down the money was deeply personal — rooted in his admiration for Shah Rukh Khan. “It was SRK who made me. I was inspired by him. Every time I was rejected from a show or competition, I would go outside Mannat and cry my heart out. He gave me the strength to move forward. Like how others believe there’s a divine energy guiding them — for me, that energy is SRK.”

In his nearly 15-year career, Divya Kumar has lent his voice to several acclaimed tracks, but his only chance to sing for his idol came in SRK’s 2018 film Zero, alongside Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif. He sang “Ishaqbaazi” with Sukhwinder Singh and Swagat Rathod, composed by Ajay-Atul and penned by Irshad Kamil.

Meanwhile, “Tainu Ki Pata” continues to soar with over 9.4 million views.