Anu Malik reveals Javed Akhtar walked out after inclusion of ‘Check that, like that’ in Main Hoon Na qawwali song

Do you know Javed Akhtar initially walked out of the qawwali song in Main Hoon Na? Anu Malik has revealed that the veteran lyricist objected to the inclusion of English words like “Check that, like that” in Tumse Milke Dil Ka, the song composed by Malik, sung by Sonu Nigam and directed by Farah Khan. He revealed it was Farah who convinced him to return. (Also read: Anu Malik says ‘things are easier now for outsiders than star kids’, gives his daughters’ example)

The song, which became a chartbuster and has endured as an earworm over the years, was a quirky take on the qawwali. It featured Shah Rukh Khan, Sushmita Sen, Zayed Khan and Amrita Rao. While it was shot like a conventional qawwali, it had certain elements that made it stand out in 2004, the year it was released.

What was Javed Akhtar’s objection?

In a recent podcast with ANI, Anu Malik revealed that he came up with the words ‘Check that, like that’ while composing the tune of Tumse Milke Dil Ka. But during the making of the song, when he narrated the tune with these words, Javed Akhtar didn’t take too kindly to the inclusion of English in a qawwali. “’Ye words koi qawwali mein hote hain?’ Javed Saab said and walked out,” recalled Anu.

How did he end up writing the song?

Anu Malik added that Akhtar walked out of the making, till director Farah Khan convinced him to return. “Farah told Javed Saab, ‘No, Anu is right. I want a ‘funky qawwali’.” She insisted that the lyricist follows her brief like the music composer, as she wanted a “funky qawwali,” not a conventional one.

Impact of the ‘funky qawwali’

Anu said that the song turned out to be a template for every funky qawwali that was made since then. “Qawwali ka apna ek andaaz hota hai (Qawwali has its own style). Javed Saab wrote brilliantly. Him, me, Sonu and the qawwals, we all came together to make something memorable,” added he.

He also talked about the importance of composing for the character, and the world the film is set in. He added that a song like Roshni Se from SRK’s Asoka (2001) wouldn’t suit Govinda in a David Dhawan potboiler.

Interestingly, three years after Main Hoon Na, Javed Akhtar wrote an Urdu disco song with Farah and Shah Rukh Khan, Dard-e-Disco, in Om Shanti Om. Akhtar has most famously written the qawwali Sheher Ke Dukandaron sung by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan in the 1996 album Sangam.