Imtiaz Ali says people ‘didn’t understand a single word’ of Jab We Met song ‘Mauja Hi Mauja’: ‘What is he saying? It’s not a Punjabi film’

Ahead of the premiere of his upcoming film Amar Singh Chamkila, Imtiaz Ali recounted a fascinating anecdote regarding the Jab We Met song Mauja Hi Mauja.

By: Entertainment Desk

Chennai | April 10, 2024 08:00 PM IST

2 min read

Kareena Kapoor and Shahid Kapoor in a still from the song 'Mauja Hi Mauja.'

Fans have been waiting for the release of filmmaker Imtiaz Ali‘s upcoming film Amar Singh Chamkila. Even before its release, the film is winning hearts nationwide with its music album. Since the film is based on the life of late Punjabi singer Amar Singh Chamkila, the film’s music has the essence of Punjabi music that was popular in the region n the 1980s. In a recent interview, Imtiaz shared an intriguing anecdote about another Punjabi hit song, ”Mauja Hi Mauja,” from his iconic film Jab We Met.

During a conversation with Anubhav Singh Bassi for Netflix India, Imtiaz disclosed that many expressed skepticism towards the song’s potential due to their limited understanding of Punjabi. However, despite the doubts, Imtiaz, driven by his own fondness for the song, remained confident in its potential.

Speaking about the same, he said, “When we were composing the song ‘Mauja Hi Mauja’ at that time nobody was able to understand anything, but because Irshad Kamil is from Punjab, he said that ‘Mauja Hi Mauja’ would be fun. It felt nice, the sound was great. When someone says it like this, you get the meaning. And then he wrote the song and a lot of people said that they are not able to understand a single word of it. ‘What is he saying? Why is he saying this? It’s not a Punjabi film.’ But we liked it and the song was loved by people.”

Jab We Met’s music was composed by Pritam with lyrics by Irshad Kamil, who again collaborated with Imtiaz for Amar Singh Chamkila. ‘Mauja Hi Mauja’ was sung by Mika Singh.

ALSO READ | Diljit Dosanjh says Ed Sheeran rehearsed singing in Punjabi for 2-3 days before Mumbai concert: ‘I thought if he managed to sing in Punjabi…’

In Imtiaz’s upcoming film, Amar Singh Chamkila, the role of Amar Singh Chamkila is portrayed by Diljit Dosanjh, while Parineeti Chopra essays the character of Chamkila’s real-life partner and collaborator, Amarjot Kaur. The film’s music is composed by AR Rahman. The film is scheduled for release on Netflix on April 12.

From the homepage