NEW DELHi: Celebrated Bollywood playback singer Javed Ali has shared an emotional and revealing with the Executive Editor of The New Indian, Rohan Dua. He highlights the time of recording the beloved romantic number Aa Jao Meri Tamanna from the 2009 hit film Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, starring Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif.
In a detailed behind-the-scenes conversation, Ali reflected on the impact of the song, not only on his own career, but also on the cinematic aura that Ranbir Kapoor brought to it.
“Aa Jao Meri Tamanna is one of those songs that stays with you,” Ali said. “Even today, I keep going back and reading the YouTube comments. People wrote such heartfelt messages. It touches me deeply as a singer when a song connects so personally with listeners.” For Ali, this wasn’t just another romantic track—it marked his first time singing for Ranbir Kapoor, who had only recently emerged in the industry with Saawariya. But even then, Ranbir’s emotional maturity and musical expression impressed Ali.
“There’s something about the way Ranbir lip-syncs,” Ali explained. “He doesn’t just move his lips to the lyrics—he internalizes the emotion. The way the song is picturized on him, the body language, the expressions—he brings a musical sensitivity to his performance that elevates the song. It’s a quality his father Rishi Kapoor also had.”
Talks about Rishi Kapoor
Ali then recalled a piece of advice from singer Kumar Sanu about Rishi Kapoor:
“Kumar ji once told me, ‘Rishi Kapoor had a certain musical pulse in his acting. You could feel the song in his eyes.’ That same quality is present in Ranbir. When you see Tera Hone Laga Hoon on screen, it doesn’t feel like playback—it feels like Ranbir is truly singing it himself.”
Ali also opened up about the technical demands of the track, composed by Pritam and penned by Irshad Kamil. Known for his smooth romantic numbers, Ali faced a unique vocal challenge in this one. “The composition has a vast range,” he said.
“There were parts I couldn’t reach in my natural voice, so I had to use falsetto—something I had never done in any song before. Falsetto allows you to reach those high notes without sounding strained, but doing it in a way that still sounds romantic and effortless was the tricky part.”
He described how the song required constant shifts in pitch and tone: “It’s vocally very active. You have to sing complex words softly in a lower pitch, and then suddenly you have to repeat those same words with more intensity at a higher pitch. It’s like going from Sa Re Ga Pa and suddenly jumping scales. You have to maintain the emotion while technically navigating those shifts.”
The result, of course, was one of the most iconic romantic duets of the decade. The chemistry between Ali’s voice and Ranbir’s on-screen charm captured hearts across the country and solidified the song as a defining moment in both their careers. For Ali, Aa Jao Meri Tamanna wasn’t just a song—it was a turning point. “I think that song changed something for me. It connected me with a younger generation, with people who maybe hadn’t heard my earlier songs. And to have done it with a young actor like Ranbir, at the start of his journey—it makes the memory even more special.”
Fifteen years later, the magic of Aa Jao Meri Tamanna endures, not just because of its melody, but because of the way it brought together voice, vision, and emotion in perfect harmony.
