Baba Sehgal Slams Iconic AR Rahman Track Over 'Vahiyat' Hindi Lyrics

Baba Sehgal shared an intriguing story about his collaboration with music maestro AR Rahman on the Hindi version of the iconic song 'Rukmani Rukmani'.

Baba Sehgal recalled how he was approached by AR Rahman and his team at a show in Chennai .

Source : Instagram/@arrahman & @babasehgal

New Delhi: In a candid walk down memory lane, rapper and music icon Baba Sehgal, often hailed as India’s first mainstream rap artist, has shared a surprising revelation about his brief collaboration with Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman. The artist recently spoke to Siddharth Kannan about his experience recording the Hindi version of ‘Rukmani Rukmani’, a popular track from Mani Ratnam’s 1992 classic 'Roja'.

The original Tamil version of the song, sung by S.P. Balasubrahmanyam and K.S. Chithra, became a massive hit, contributing to AR Rahman’s breakout success. However, according to Sehgal, his involvement in the Hindi adaptation of the track was far from smooth, and definitely not something he looks back on fondly.

Baba Sehgal Slams AR Rahman's Song for 'Cheap' Lyrics

Recalling how he was first approached during a show in Chennai, Baba Sehgal said the offer came directly from Rahman’s team. But what began as a promising collaboration quickly turned sour when he read the translated lyrics.

“When I saw the Hindi lyrics, I was like, ‘Kitne vahiyat lyrics hai yaar. Kisne likha hai ye?’ (How cheap are these lyrics? Who wrote this?) The problem is, when we listen to songs in another language, they sound fine. But in our own language, we grasp the meaning. I don’t think Rahman or Ratnam knew what those Hindi lyrics meant,” he recalled.

Baba Sehgal admitted that despite his discomfort, he went ahead with the recording, but the decision never sat right with him.

“It was forced upon me. I didn’t agree with the song; I found it very cheap. Another woman was brought in to sing the female dialogues. Later, I asked Swetha Shetty to sing them as well, and she did so brilliantly. This was my first and last song with Rahman, as language proved a barrier. We never met again after that,” he added.