Latest news with #Anjaan
Time of India
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Sameer Anjaan lived in Mumbai on stolen puris; famous music director threw his diary after hearing his songs: 'I was shaken and broke'
Lyricist Sameer Anjaan is known for his beloved classics like 'Nazar Ke Saamne,' 'Teri Umeed Tera Intezaar,' and 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.' Despite being the son of renowned lyricist Anjaan, Sameer carved his own path through years of hardship and rejection. He recently spoke about leaving his full-time job to pursue his passion for becoming a lyricist, and how he initially struggled to thrive in Mumbai. Sameer Anjaan recalls surviving on tea and biscuits during his struggling days in Mumbai 02:45 Late Shravan Rathod's close friend Sameer Anjaan clears the air about non-payment of hospital bill: 'There was no financial issue' In a conversation with DD Urdu, Sameer revealed that he experienced the hardest times during his early days in Mumbai. He did not even know how to cook, as he had lived a life of luxury in Benaras. All he knew was how to make tea, and he survived on biscuits and tea for breakfast. A man from Uttar Pradesh, working at a South Indian restaurant near Khar station, would steal puris for him, and Sameer paid ₹10 for lunch each day. He would eat well only if someone invited him for dinner; otherwise, he would simply eat a banana. Sameer's mother wrote to Anjaan after seeing him in worn-out clothes and poor health Sameer's presence in Mumbai went unnoticed by his family for some time. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like This Could Be the Best Time to Trade Gold in 5 Years IC Markets Learn More Undo His mother was heartbroken after seeing him in worn-out clothes and looking lean due to months of poor nutrition. She wrote to Anjaan, who was also in Mumbai at the time, about the situation. She wrote, 'My son has been struggling in Mumbai and you never cared to check on him.' His response was, 'I wouldn't know unless I was informed. How would I know he's here?' Sameer recalled. His father then reached out to relatives in Mumbai in search of Sameer. When they finally reunited after 23 years, it was a tense meeting. 'I was so upset with him and frustrated with all the struggle,' Sameer shared. Anjaan decided to test his potential before supporting his dream and passion. Having endured a 17-year-long struggle himself, he was cautious about the realities of the industry. Sameer passed his father's test and was then mentored by him. Anjaan taught him the craft but refrained from recommending him to anyone. Rejected by a renowned composer despite being the son of a legendary lyricist Sameer narrated a disheartening encounter with a prominent music director, though he did not mention the name, as the person was a friend of his father. The director had high expectations of him, being the son of Anjaan. 'After listening to about 40 of my songs, he gave an extremely rude response: 'You've wasted my time. You are a terrible writer. Never dare to share your work with anyone. You'll ruin your father's name. I'll pay you—please return to Benaras.' He even threw my diary out of his window in anger. I was shaken. This broke me,' he added. Veteran composer Usha Khanna gave him his first break But Sameer remained hopeful about his career and later went to Usha Khanna's house. The veteran music director gave his work a chance. She agreed to record four of his poems after listening to them. After becoming a successful lyricist in the industry, he eventually met the musician who had once rejected him. That musician never dared to face Sameer again.
Indian Express
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
Son of top Indian lyricist survived on stolen bread in Mumbai, hadn't seen his dad for 23 years; went on to write songs for Govinda, Shah Rukh Khan
Every music lover must have come across the name Sameer Anjaan. He is the man behind the lyrics of some of the most iconic songs: 'Nazar Ke Saamne', 'Teri Umeed Tera Intezaar' and 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' among others. However, success didn't come easy to him. Despite being born to one of the most well-known lyricist Anjaan, Sameer had to go through years of struggles before getting his first break and eventually taste success. In a recent interview with DD Urdu, Sameer recalled the time when he left his full-time job to chase his dream of becoming a poet/lyricist. He managed to come to Mumbai, but struggled to survive. He shared, 'I have seen the hardest times in Mumbai. I was the same boy, who didn't even have to take a glass of water by myself when I was back in Benaras. I didn't know how to cook, just knew how to make tea. Biscuits were my breakfast. For lunch, I had a setting with an Uttar Pradesh man at a South Indian restaurant in Khar station. He would steal puris for me. I paid Rs 10 for lunch everyday. For dinners, if people ever invited me over then well and good, if not then would just eat a banana or so.' For the longest time, his father was unaware of his presence in the city of dreams. 'In between, I had to visit Benaras. At that time, I was wearing a shirt worth Rs 10 and an extremely old pant. I looked lean without good food. My mom saw me and felt terrible about my situation. This prompted her to write a letter to my father. She wrote, 'My son has been struggling in Mumbai and you never cared to check on him.' His reply was, 'I wouldn't know it until I am informed. How would I know he's here?'' ALSO READ | 'Ranveer Singh was never written off': Dhurandhar co-star Madhavan calls actor 'secure', says 'couple of bad films' don't end careers After the letter, Sameer's father contacted all his relatives in Mumbai to look for him. 'It was after 23 years that I met him. I was so upset with him and frustrated with all the struggle.' However, this was just the beginning. Before approving his career choice, Anjaan who himself struggled for 17 years before tasting success, took a test of his son. Luckily, Sameer passed. His father then advised him that the industry tests people's patience and success is hard to get. He agreed to teach him the technicalities of being a lyricist, but refused to refer him to anybody for work. Sameer recalled, 'I struggled a lot. And amid this, I came across a music director. I don't want to name him as he was friends with my father. But when I visited him, he asked me to show my work to him. His expectations were high as I was lyricist Anjaan's son. After listening to about 40 of my songs, he had an extremely rude response, 'You wasted my time. You are a terrible writer. Never dare to share your work with anyone. You will spoil your father's name. I will pay you, please return to Benaras.' He even threw my diary out of his window in anger. I was shaken after listening to him. This broke me, but I was still hopeful. I picked my diary and went to Usha Khanna's house.' She is India's third female music director after Jaddan Bai and Saraswati Devi. There he found her alone, and requested if she would read his work. 'She happily agreed. Soon after listening to four of my poems, she stopped me and said, I am going to record all four of them. It were the same poems which had received such negative remarks just hours ago, and now the same poems impressed Usha. This is how my career started.' While Sameer Anjaan struggled in his 80s, with songs from the films Aashiqui (1990), Deewana (1992) and Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke (1993), he shot to fame as well as bagged three Filmfare Awards. Many years later, he confronted the music director who once questioned his talent. 'I bumped into that music director a lot of times at various events, but he never dared to see me in my eyes. After I became extremely successful, I saw him at a party. I stopped to confront him and cleared things out.'
Time of India
18-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Suriya's 'Anjaan' to re-release; Lingusamy reveals his plans to bring the re-edited version
Director Lingusamy, known for his blockbuster commercial entertainers, has revealed plans to re-release a re-edited version of his 2014 film Anjaan, which originally starred Suriya, Samantha, and Vidyut Jammwal. Upon its initial release, the film carried massive hype but faced disappointing box office results and criticism. Now, the director believes it's time to revisit the film with a fresh edit, after learning from its past reception and response. Inspired by the Hindi response, Lingusamy hopes the best Speaking in a recent interview with actor Chitra Lakshmanan, Lingusamy said, 'Someone bought the Hindi rights, re-edited the film, and released it on YouTube, and the response was overwhelming. I was shocked watching it, wondering why we couldn't do this ourselves earlier.' Motivated by this, he is now working on the new version of 'Anjaan' for re-release. 'Let's see how it turns out,' he added, expressing cautious optimism about the film's comeback. From blockbusters to setbacks Lingusamy, who began his career with the family hit 'Aanandham,' followed by successful films like 'Run,' 'Sandakozhi,' 'Paiyaa,' and 'Vettai,' has not only directed but also produced several notable projects. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025 Top Trending local enterprise accounting software [Click Here] Esseps Learn More Undo Among his productions are 'Anjaan,' 'Vettai,' and 'Uttama Villain' featuring Kamal Haasan. Despite the ambitious scale and star power of Anjaan, the film failed to meet expectations when it was released, which Lingusamy admits was a humbling experience where he "Kathukitta Moththa Vithayum Erakiruken (used every trick he had learned), yet it didn't click with the Tamil audience. Trolls in Tamil, cheers in Hindi 'Anjaan' was widely trolled at the time of release, despite having a few mixed-to-positive reviews. Interestingly, a Hindi-dubbed version of 'Anjaan' which was re-edited and released unofficially on YouTube, has become a surprise hit among Hindi-speaking audiences. This unexpected popularity has prompted Lingusamy to take charge of the film's re-editing himself for an official re-release, hoping to give 'Anjaan' a second chance.
