MUMBAI : Although Khandala is a popular destination for people residing in nearby cities of Mumbai and Pune for short weekend trips, its reputation comes more from its place in the song "Aati Kya Khandala" than from its beautiful climate or trekking routes. In addition to being Aamir Khan's first singing debut, the famous song from the 1998 movie Ghulam also gave Rani Mukherji the tag "Khandala girl."

The song features Bambaiya, tapori lyrics, and catchy beats, and became popular right away. This was also because Aamir made an unexpected singing debut; even though he wasn't a playback singer, he sang the song with amazing flair.

(Also read: Sunny Deol and son Karan Deol set to collaborate on Lahore 1947: Another father-son tale after Gadar 2

The song's composer, Lalit Pandit, one half of the musical pair Jatin-Lalit, recounts how Aamir was convinced to contribute his voice to this iconic song.

In an interview with the popular news portal, Lalit revealed that the journey to making this iconic track started with a car ride to the film’s set at Film City with Aamir driving the Jatin-Lalit and Vikram Bhatt in his car.

While the team was still discussing what sort of song should feature for the film’s sequence, Aamir surprised everyone when he crooned “Sagar Jaisi Aankhon Wali” on their way to the set. Lalit, who found his voice impressive, suggested that Aamir should sing a song for Ghulam. While everyone was thrilled by the prospect of the actor singing the track, Aamir seemed a bit surprised and didn’t commit right away.

The next breakthrough came from writer Nitin Raikwar, who penned the lyrics for “Aati Kya Khandala,” perfectly matching the film’s style and Aamir’s character. The idea was well-received, but Aamir had his reservations. Lalit recalled the Dangal actor being very “careful” and proposing he secretly recorded the song. Mr Perfectionist, Aamir, suggested that if he wasn’t satisfied with the outcome, we would scrap it and try something else.

Lalit revealed that even with his demanding filming schedule, Aamir promised to consistently practice the song. When Aamir's voice was revealed during rehearsals, he took everyone by surprise and captured the swagger that director Vikram Bhatt had envisioned for the song. While team Ghulam found recording the song to be easy, filming the song turned out to be more difficult since Aamir was dissatisfied with the first take and "scrapped" it, reshooting the entire scene.

The song's essence was flawlessly caught in the second shot, which was amazing. The composer stated that Ghulam was an important project for Jatin-Lalit, particularly with Aamir in the lead role. The entire musical team worked really hard to secure the success of the film, and the music had to be excellent.

As per the well-known news portal, lyricist Nitinmet Aamir while filming Ghulam. When he sang "Aati Kya Khandala" to Aamir, the latter appreciated it right away and told Vikram about it.

“We had completed the film but when I heard the song. I wanted it to be in the film. So we deleted a few scenes to accommodate the song. When I heard the song, I knew only Aamir could do justice to it. When I told him to sing, he was like, ‘Are you mad!’ But we convinced him and the rest is history,” said Nitin, mentioning that the song was added to the movie at the last minute.

(Also read: Lahore 1947: Aamir Khan confirms Sunny Deol’s son Karan Deol’s starring in the film

For more news and updates from the world of television, OTT, and movies, stay tuned to TellyChakkar.

Credit- The Indian Express