Last Updated: February 02, 2023, 07:56 IST
Singer Shilpa Rao opens up about lending her vocals to Deepika Padukone in Pathaan song Besharam Rang.
Besharam Rang features Deepika Padukone in an ultra-glamorous and sensual avatar. It marks fourth successful collaboration between the actor and Shilpa Rao.
Looks like the Pathaan wave isn’t going to wane anytime soon. The film has broken several box office records and has crossed the Rs 600 crore mark by a huge margin (worldwide) and become the highest week one collection in the history of Hindi cinema. Apart from the scintillating chemistry between Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone, the camaraderie between him and Salman Khan and the high-octane and stylised action sequences, the film is also receiving heaps of praises for its music. Besharam Rang and Jhoome Jo Pathaan have emerged as massive chartbusters. The former might have been embroiled in a controversy soon after it was dropped but it has taken over social media by storm now and it’s on its way to garner 300 million views on YouTube.
The number features Deepika in an ultra-glamorous and sensual avatar. It marks another successful collaboration between the actor and singer Shilpa Rao after Khuda Jaane (Bachna Ae Haseeno; 2008), Nain Parindey (Lafangey Parindey; 2010) and Subhanallah (Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani; 2013). In an exclusive interaction with News18, Shilpa talks about lending her vocals to Deepika and what makes their collaborations stand out.
She elaborates, “When I talk about Deepika, I smile because that’s what she does to me. I feel like she is one of the most beautiful human beings I’ve worked with in my life. Whenever I’ve met her, there is so much warmth in her. The way she is and her eye contact [with whoever she’s speaking to] makes you feel like she isn’t talking to anybody else and there’s nobody else in the room, and that is what I love about her. We started off with Khuda Jaane, which was a song where both of them (Deepika and Ranbir Kapoor) were falling in love, and we have also done Lafangey Parindey, which is again a very different song.”
Talking about Besharam Rang, Shilpa says, “In this one, she’s celebrating herself. It’s great to see their (Shah Rukh and Deepika) chemistry on screen. They look fabulous in the music video.” What makes the song unique is that despite being a beachy dance number, it has a laid-back vibe to it. So, what was the brief given to her before she crooned it? “Siddharth (Anand; director) told me this is the song where she is celebrating herself [in all her glory] – good, bad and flawless. And that’s why, I felt very empowered to sing that song,” the 38-year-old remarks.
While Besharam Rang has been generating a frenzy among fans and creating ripples on Instagram, she believes that the number of reels made on it isn’t the ultimate parameter of success. She emphasises that it’s the quality of the song that has made it an instant hit. “I still believe that a song has to be great as it is. So, it is very important for it to have a good melody and lyrics that people can connect with. When it reaches that stage, only then will people pick it up and make it popular, so the promotion, reach, and reels will come after that,” Shilpa states. The vocalist further continues, “I think the only reason this song has done so well is because people have actually got the meaning of the song, which is to express yourself without apologies and to love yourself the way you are. People got that and so, they are expressing themselves and that’s why it’s getting popular.”
Shilpa feels rather elated to be a part of the film that was the most highly anticipated film of the year and is now creating history. Speaking about it, she says, “It’s actually a very proud movie for all of us. I think it’s a great moment for us. We are so happy that people are going into the cinemas and watching the film, having fun, celebrating it, and dancing, singing and whistling to it. I think it’s a great celebration for all of us, and a huge congratulations to the entire team of Pathaan!”
Ask her about her review of the film and Shilpa says, “I’ve seen the film. It feels really great to be a part of such an enriching project. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and it was thrilling to see others’ reactions too. Pathaan promised to be a great film and it kept that promise.”
