Did you know Masakali was first made for Om Shanti Om?

Farah Khan recently visited composer Vishal Dadlani's home for the recent episode of her YouTube vlog, the conversation unexpectedly veered down memory lane. It turns out that AR Rahman was the first composer assigned to the Om Shanti Om (2007) project and had begun working on it long before Vishal-Shekhar joined the team.

AR Rahman’s Masakali was originally meant for Om Shanti Om

According to Farah, the very first tune Rahman created for the film was none other than Masakali. In her words: "The first song which Rahman made for Om Shanti Om was Masakali!" She went on to admit she hadn't even settled on where in the film the song would go, but that she'd always loved both the track and the word Masakali itself.

Masakali was never included in Om Shanti Om. Rather, it reappeared two years later in Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's Delhi-6 (2009), which starred Sonam Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan. There, it became one of Rahman's most cherished compositions of the time.

Rahman's departure from Om Shanti Om has been the subject of industry speculation for years. At the time, reports suggested creative and financial differences played a role, with some claiming Shah Rukh Khan wasn't fully satisfied with Rahman's compositions, and others pointing to a dispute over how music publishing rights would be shared among the composer, lyricist, and producer. Rahman himself later clarified there was no falling out with Farah personally.

Soon after, Vishal-Shekhar took over, and the rest is Bollywood history: Javed Akhtar's Om Shanti Om soundtrack had classics that defined the era, including the title track, Dard-e-Disco, Deewangi, and Aankhon Mein Teri.

Vishal said that even if he and Shekhar had never been brought on to score the film, the music of Om Shanti Om would likely still have turned out well, given Rahman’s involvement. Farah agreed but was quick to credit Vishal-Shekhar specifically for the soundtrack’s eventual success, calling their contribution the reason the album became as iconic as it did.

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