Bollywood singer-rapper Badshah is regarded as one of the finest artists in the industry, having proven his talent with hits like Genda Phool, Garmi, and Bad Boy, among others. In a recent interview, the rapper talked about his song Humma Humma from Ok Jaanu and revealed that maestro and OG Humma Humma singer AR Rahman had apologized to him for initially criticizing the remake of his iconic.
During a conversation with Radio Nasha, Badshah stated, “I faced a lot of flak when I did Humma Humma. AR Rahman sir was also very unhappy. But at an event, I remember, he called me and he said, ‘I am sorry. It took me time to realize it’s a good song. I was just unhappy because of…’ There were some things and that was probably the biggest validation that I wasn’t looking for but I got.”
The singer mentioned that he had a clear vision of what he wanted to achieve with the song, describing it as the best part of the process.
Badshah explained that while he had a clear vision of how he wanted to remix and remake the song to give it his signature “Badshah touch,” it was only later that others came to appreciate his conviction.
Badshah, in collaboration with Tanishk Bagchi, reimagined Humma Humma for the 2017 film Ok Jaanu, starring Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor. The original track, composed and sung by AR Rahman, was featured in Mani Ratnam’s 1995 film Bombay.
When the new version of Humma Humma was released for Ok Jaanu, Rahman publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with the remake. He stated that he had permitted the song to be used only after repeated requests from the film’s director, Shaad Ali.
In addition to Humma Humma, Badshah has also worked on remaking several iconic Bollywood tracks, such as Tamma Tamma Loge, Kala Chashma, and more recently, Morni Baga Ma Bole. Apar from this, his original tracks like Jugnu, Gone Girl, Paagal, Mercy, Bachpan Ka Pyaar, and many more are a huge hit.
