From Mani Ratnam nearly firing AR Rahman to Shammi Kapoor rejecting RD Burman: On Friendship Day 2025, Bollywood bonds that stood the test of time

Indian Express

2 days ago

More often than not, it is creative friendships that give rise to the most iconic works of art—ones that are cherished for generations. The Hindi film industry has witnessed several such bonds over the years. On the occasion of Friendship Day, we revisit some of Bollywood's most memorable partnerships between filmmakers, composers and singers, where camaraderie led to timeless classics. From Asha Bhosle's one phone call that changed the course of Jatin–Lalit's careers to Mani Ratnam nearly firing AR Rahman — only to be moved to tears by his music — these enduring collaborations stood the test of time through their unforgettable body of work.
Before Raj Kapoor's collaboration with composer duo Laxmikant–Pyarelal came into the limelight — thanks to the hit track Bobby — the actor-filmmaker was known for his frequent collaborations with another legendary composer duo: Shankar–Jaikishan. The duo had worked in Raj Kapoor's father Prithviraj Kapoor's iconic Prithvi Theatre, and it was Prithviraj who recommended Shankar's name to Raj Kapoor when he was looking to make Barsaat.
According to a report in Firstpost, Raj offered the job to the musician, but Shankar insisted that Jaikishan be made an equal partner. Raj agreed, and after Barsaat's massive success, he made the duo his permanent composers, even putting them on a monthly payroll of Rs 500. Shankar–Jaikishan went on to compose music for some of Raj Kapoor's most iconic films, including Awaara, Shree 420, and Junglee.
However, like many great partnerships, their collaboration came to an end after Mera Naam Joker. During the making of the film, Raj Kapoor had a temporary fallout with Lata Mangeshkar, who until then had sung in all of his films. This created a difficult situation even for Shankar-Jaikishan, but Shankar pushed for singer Sharda Rajan Iyer to be included in the project. Raj Kapoor allowed Shankar to continue working his way, but later decided not to shoot the songs sung by Sharda and they weren't a part of the film.
But removing Sharda's songs from Mera Naam Joker couldn't save the film from its fate. It bombed at the box office, and what followed was even more tragic — a year after the film's release, Jaikishan passed away, leaving Shankar in deep grief. Raj Kapoor, meanwhile, moved on to Laxmikant-Pyarelal and worked with them in his later films, including Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978) and Prem Rog (1982).
AR Rahman was composing jingles for advertisements when Mani Ratnam first came across his work. The filmmaker heard one of Rahman's jingles play at an award show and immediately thought of him as a hidden gem waiting for a breakthrough. Determined to give him that chance, Mani Ratnam brought Rahman on board for his 1992 film Roja. 'Not everyone gets a Mani Ratnam movie for their first film. So, imagine how cool it must have been for me,' Rahman shared in an interview with Chennai Times. The film's music was a sensation and earned Rahman the National Film Award for Best Music Direction in his very first film.
The duo went on to collaborate on several iconic films, including Thiruda Thiruda, Iruvar, Dil Se, Guru, Raavan, Kadal, and many more. Bombay was the third film that Rahman and Mani Ratnam worked together on. However, it was also the film where Mani Ratnam briefly contemplated firing the composer. In an old interview with O2 India, cinematographer Rajiv Menon recalled how Rahman delayed delivering the tune of the song 'Humma Humma' to such an extent that Mani Ratnam went to his house with the intention of letting him go — but returned with tears in his eyes.
Menon recounted, 'We were shooting and we had to film the Humma Humma sequence, but it wasn't coming.' He recalled Rahman calling them to his house to hear the tune after several delays. Rajiv said, 'We go there and he says, 'I don't have the tune.' So Mani asked, 'Then why did you call us?' Rahman answered, 'But I have something else,' and then he plays the theme music of Bombay.'
Listening to the Bombay theme music was an emotional moment for both Rajiv and Mani Ratnam. 'Tears started rolling down my eyes. Mani said, 'What have you done, Rahman? I came here to fire you and you're making me cry with this song.' Rahman replied, 'I just got this tune.'' Rajiv shared that Rahman then went on to score the entire theme over the next three days.
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ), Fanaa, Mohabbatein — composer duo Jatin–Lalit have created music for several iconic films under the Yash Raj Films banner. But it's the story behind their first collaboration with Aditya Chopra and YRF that is particularly interesting.
Yash Chopra was looking for fresh, new-age composers to craft the soundtrack of his son Aditya Chopra's debut directorial, DDLJ. This is when his wife, Pamela Chopra, received a call from Asha Bhosle, who strongly recommended Jatin–Lalit to the Chopra family.
It all happened when the composer duo had gone to pay their last respects at RD Burman's house after his passing. There, they met Asha Bhosle. Speaking to Bollywood Hungama, Jatin recalled, 'This was a time when Pancham da (R.D. Burman) had passed away. We had gone to his house two days later. Asha ji was sitting alone in Pancham da's room. We spoke to her. She told us, 'Tum log itna accha kaam kar rahe ho. Tum logon ko badi filmein milni chahiye.' (You are doing so well. You should be getting big films).'
Jatin Pandit continued, 'She called Pam ji (Pamela Chopra; Yash Chopra's wife) and spoke highly about us. Some days later, we got a call from Yash Raj Films. The sitting was supposed to last for an hour but went on for 3–4 hours. We had no idea that Aditya Chopra was going to debut as a director and that they were looking for a music director for his movie. We thought it was a film that would be directed by Yash ji. We were fortunate that they were just ready to begin shooting. It was a case of being in the right place at the right time. We were then given the narration and bagged the film!' It was their friendship with Asha Bhosle that helped them get the big break that changed the trajectory of their careers.
We all remember Shammi Kapoor grooving to 'O Haseena Zulfonwali' like there's no tomorrow — but did you know he almost lost the chance to dance to this iconic R. D. Burman track? At the time, R. D. Burman was still finding his footing in the Hindi film industry. He had already composed music for films like Bhoot Bungla (1965) and Teesra Kaun (1965), and it was during this phase that Teesri Manzil's producer — legendary filmmaker and writer Nasir Hussain — recommended Burman's name to the film's lead actor, Shammi Kapoor.
Shammi, who was known for being assertive about his choices, initially insisted on retaining Shankar–Jaikishan as the composers of the film, who had worked extensively with his elder brother Raj Kapoor. He wasn't keen on switching to a relatively new name in the music industry.
But Nasir Hussain managed to convince him to give RD Burman a chance. According to a report, Nasir told Shammi, 'Ek naya ladka hai. Burman Dada (S. D. Burman) ka beta. Zara sun toh lo (There's a new boy SD Burman's son. Just give his music a listen.)' For the unversed, RD Burman's father, SD Burman, was one of the most successful and influential music composers in both Bengali and Hindi cinema.
Reluctantly, Shammi Kapoor agreed to hear the tunes– and was left stunned. Burman's music was innovative, peppy, yet soulful. Teesri Manzil went on to become a cornerstone of Pancham da's career. The film was a massive box office success, and much of its popularity was credited to its unforgettable soundtrack, which included gems like 'O Haseena Zulfonwali Jane Jahan,' 'O Mere Sona Re Sona,' 'Aaja Aaja Main Hoon Pyar Tera,' 'Deewana Mujhsa Nahin,' and 'Tumne Mujhe Dekha Hokar Meherban.'
Pancham da and Nasir Hussain went on to work together for at least nine films, including Caravan, Yaadon Ki Baaraat, Hum Kisise Kum Naheen, Pyar Ka Mausam, Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai, Manzil Manzil and Zabardast.