Arijit Singh almost got dropped from Aashiqui 2; Mohit Suri reveals what saved him

Arijit Singh may be the undisputed voice of contemporary Hindi cinema today, racking up billions of streams each year and defining heartbreak for a generation—but his now-legendary career almost ended before it began.

How Arijit Singh’s refusal to sign a contract nearly ended his Aashiqui 2 journey

In a candid revelation, filmmaker Mohit Suri opened up about the behind-the-scenes drama that nearly cost Arijit his breakout moment in Aashiqui 2. Speaking to Cyrus Broacha on his podcast ahead of the release of his upcoming film Saiyaara, Mohit recalled how the young singer’s refusal to sign an exclusive contract nearly got him booted off the project.

“I remember, one day, the head of the music label was shouting at me and Mithoon,” Mohit recounted, referring to composer Mithoon, who crafted the film’s soul-stirring tracks. “We’d done Aashiqui, and they wanted Arijit to sign a contract, to hold talent back, to control his talent. He refused to do it. He was still not big, because the songs hadn’t released then. He refused to do it, and they were like, ‘Why don’t you replace him?’ Mithoon and I were like, ‘No way, we’ll take our songs back, you can get other songs, we are not replacing him’.”

It was a make-or-break moment. At the time, Arijit was a relatively unknown voice—brilliant, but unproven. The label wanted assurance, but what they got was resistance. And what saved Arijit? According to Mohit, it was Mithoon’s unwavering ethics and belief in his artist. “I was only fighting for my music director,” he admitted. “I don’t know if Arijit even knows the story,” Mohit added, “but he should thank the ethical Mithoon, who really stood up for him.”

That act of artistic defiance turned out to be prescient. When Aashiqui 2 hit theatres in 2013, its music exploded. Songs like Tum Hi Ho and Chahun Main Ya Naa became instant classics, cementing Arijit’s position as the voice of modern Bollywood romance. The film itself, starring Shraddha Kapoor and Aditya Roy Kapur, was a commercial juggernaut—much like the original Aashiqui from the 1990s. But unlike its predecessor, Aashiqui 2 launched a star not just on screen, but behind the mic.

Asked if he had an inkling of Arijit’s potential back then, Mohit didn’t hesitate: “Yes, we’ve never made music like that.”

Today, Arijit Singh’s songs dominate playlists, film soundtracks, and live shows across the globe. But this nearly-forgotten chapter is a reminder that even legends can be one decision away from being sidelined—and sometimes, it takes just one believer to rewrite destiny.