In 2009, director Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire gave music director AR Rahman global recognition. His song Jai Ho not only won an Oscar for Best Original Song, but it also made Rahman one of the most popular Indian music directors across the globe.
Interestingly, the song Jai Ho, which became the soul of Dev Patel-starrer was never composed for the film. Jai Ho was made for another film, a multi-starrer that was highly anticipated but was a major flop.
Jai Ho was originally composed for...
Yuvvraaj. Yes, Rahman recorded Jai Ho for Subhash Ghai directorial, which starred Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Zayed Khan, and Anil Kapoor. However, Ghai felt that the song wouldn't suit the character and situation. Thus, they decided to give the song to Boyle. In an interview with ANI News, Subhash said, "That Jai Ho song was made for Yuvvraaj. We recorded it but after recording, I felt that it wouldn’t work for us in that situation. Rahman gave the song to that (Slumdog Millionaire) film. It is his composition."
Subhash said that initially, they decided to use the song on Zayed Khan's entry. However, he later felt that the composition was soft for the character and "happily gave it" to the composer. “I felt the song was slightly too soft and subtle for the aggressive character (Zayed Khan). I’m glad they could use it,” Ghai told TOI.
Once known as The Showman of Bollywood, Subhash Ghai has directed several blockbusters such as Kaalicharan, Karma, Vidhaata, Saudagar, Pardes, and Taal. His last directorial was Kartik Aaryan-starrer, Kaanchi: The Unbreakable (2014). On the work front, Salman was last seen in the much-awaited Tiger 3. Sadly, the movie underperformed and grossed Rs 464 crore worldwide.
