‘I got anxiety attack after being finalised to sing for Shahid Kapoor, got admitted to a hospital’: Shahid Mallya on struggle, success

“Before I got a break with the song, I had known Pritam sir for about a year, but he had never heard me sing. So one day, he asked me if I wanted to sing a song for a film he was working on. I latched onto it and said, ‘Of course, sir. I have come to this city only to sing.’” He further added: “I had no clue that it was a song for a Pankaj Kapur film. All I knew was that Pritam ji was getting continuous calls and they wanted the song to be dubbed quickly. I also didn’t know that two other singers were going to dub for the same song later. But Pritam sir was very happy, and he told his team to mix it and send it to the producer. Soon after, the team informed me that they liked the composition and the song had been approved.”

Shahid further recalled that for the same film Mausam, he had also sung another track, Ik Tu Hi Tu Hi. He narrated how, six months after the first recording, he received another call from Pritam’s office asking him to come in and record the chorus. Though a little heartbroken at being called only for the chorus, he went anyway. At the studio, he saw two prominent singers also present to record the chorus. After recording his version, he left, but around 5 pm the same day, he received another urgent call from the studio. When he returned, he saw Pritam along with Pankaj Kapur and Supriya Pathak waiting for him inside the studio premises. “Pritam sir held my hand and took me to him, and called Pankaj ji saying, ‘this is Shahid.’”

Shahid recalled thinking something was wrong, wondering why they wanted to meet him. What followed, however, left a lasting impact. Pankaj Kapur hugged and told him “Son, you sang so well. Nobody else could sing it like you. You will do the final song.” Recalling that moment, Shahid said: “I got an anxiety attack because I had got my first song.” He went on to describe how overwhelmed he felt. “I was sweating badly, and the moment I went to record, I was very nervous, the feel wasn’t coming. Thankfully, Pritam sir understood my state and packed up for the day. The moment I left the studio, I got myself admitted to the hospital because I couldn’t believe it. I kept thinking, how did I get a break so early? I had struggled for just 12–13 years. I thought it would take another ten years.”

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Shahid also recalled the first time Rabba Main Toh Mar Gaya played on television before the film’s release. He immediately called his parents to listen. “The song started and I called my mother, father, everyone, and they began to cry, and then I gave them a chair and said, sit and cry if you want to cry. I was joking,” In the same conversation, he spoke about attending the film’s premiere with Pritam, which was graced by the A-listers of the industry. When the film began and his song came on, he was once again hit by anxiety. “That song comes just 15–20 minutes into the film. And as soon as the song started I thought I should leave. Pritam sir tried to stop me and said, ‘Pankaj ji will feel bad.’ I told him let him think like that, but if I stayed there, I would die listening to my own song.”

Shahid revealed that he once again went straight to the hospital and got admitted. However, he added that after that phase, he has never experienced anxiety of that intensity again in his career.