Imtiaz Ali says girls in Kashmir mistook AR Rahman for electrician after their trip to Pahalgam: ‘He set up a console in hotel’s reception’

Amid the uncertainty, Imtiaz Ali went to Delhi’s Hazrat Nizamuddin to look for locations for his film. “There someone told to me or to my assistant that Rahman sir had come and he said, ‘I am making a film and a song for Hazrat Nizamuddin’. Hearing this, I realised that’s in my film. Then I realised, he in his own way is making the film. He is not saying no, but he is also not saying yes to me.”

After the incident, Imtiaz Ali understood Rahman’s way of communication and work process. Imtiaz recalled speaking about this to Rahman. “He said I told you I will do it. There are no questions about it. One thing about Rahman is he never lies. He would do a song for you even if he had promised you about a decade ago.”

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Eventually, Imtiaz began the shoot for the film in Kashmir, where he also invited Rahman. “We visited snow peaks and dargahs in Pahalgam. Around the same time, Rahman decided to record the song Phirse Udd Chala.”

Recalling the moment, Imtiaz Ali said how his simplicity had the chorus singers believe he was an electrician.

“Rahman sir set up this recording console in the reception of the hotel. He was wearing this black t-shirt paired with a grey trouser. These girls came in to sing chorus and suddenly asked who was the music director. Now, these people were not really exposed to cinema or its people, so they didn’t know me or Rahman sir. When they asked, ‘Who was the music director’, I gestured at them to be quiet and showed them where they had to be for the recording. Rahman sir came out of the table, one of these girls was bold and she asked again, ‘Who is the music director?’ I finally pointed towards Rahman, and told them here he is, AR Rahman.”

He added, “One of the girls then denied to believe it and said, ‘Yeh AR Rahman thodi hai’, I have met him, he looks different.’ Rahman played along and said, ‘Yeah, yeah, forget about it. And then he sat behind the console and started recording. Until the end of it, these girls didn’t realise that they are actually singing for AR Rahman.”