Sonu Nigam says Laal Singh Chaddha was plagued by negativity, songs would have reached level of Kal Ho Naa Ho

Sonu Nigam has slowed down with playback singing over the last few years and instead has been performing his hits in concerts. Last year, though, the singer reunited with Pritam to sing two songs in Laal Singh Chaddha. They had earlier worked together on Dhoom 2 (2006), Jab We Met (2007), and Desi Boyz (2011). But unfortunately, as the Hindi film starring Aamir Khan didn’t work, the songs also got neglected. Sonu said that Laal Singh Chaddha had been ‘plagued by negativity’. (Also read: Laal Singh Chaddha song Kahani: Aamir Khan unveils magical number, says it doesn’t need visuals of him or Kareena Kapoor)

Laal Singh Chaddha, directed by Advait Chandan, faced calls of boycotting online from certain sections of social media users. They were protesting against the lead actor’s comments in 2015 about India becoming ‘intolerable’ to live in. The Hindi film was an official remake of the 1994 Hollywood film Forrest Gump starring Tom Hanks.

When asked if the songs that he has sung for Laal Singh Chaddha could have been more popular, the singer replied that they have become regular at his concerts. In an interview with Bombay Times, Sonu Nigam said, “The credit for Laal Singh Chaddha goes to both Aamir [Khan] and Pritam. The movie, unfortunately, was plagued by negativity. Otherwise, the songs I sang would have reached the level of Kal Ho Naa Ho. But I always say that every piece of art comes with its own destiny. Today, Kahani and Main Ki Karaan are a staple at my concerts.”

Laal Singh Chaddha also starred Kareena Kapoor, Naga Chaitanya, Mona Singh and Manav Vij. The lyrics for the songs were written by Amitabh Bhattacharya. Unusually, the songs from the film were released as audio tracks prior to the release of the film’s trailer. The movie, which was shot at over 100 locations, released in theatres on August 11, 2022.

The singer also sang the title track for Pritam’s latest film Shehzada, which stars Kartik Aaryan in the lead role. He said the Shehzada title track was one of his “all-time favourites’. Sonu also confirmed that he would be singing for Rajkumar Hirani’s Dunki which stars Shah Rukh Khan and Taapsee Pannu. The film is due to be released in December 2023.