The inspiration for this song stemmed from Peer Baba Bulle Shah. It so happened that A.R Rahman liked the lyrics I had written for Takshak (Rang De), so he asked me if I had any other song in my mind. Then we had a heartfelt discussion about Peer Baba. He had written Tere ishq ne nachaya kar thaiyya thaiyya about 500 years ago. It has a sufiana, divine-sacred feel to it. Rahman also thinks along those lines. He was amazed when he heard it and then Gulzaar Saab converted Thaiyya Thaiyya into Chaiyya Chaiyya.

To say that Rahman is a music director par excellence is a gross understatement. Rahman is different. He thinks on a personal level too. I remember he had called me upstairs to his dargah and only after four years I learnt that I was the only person (and his mother) he had ever invited there.

I had discussed Chaiyya Chaiyya with some four to five so-called top notch music composers and directors. They disapproved of the song outright saying it was cramped and that Sufi music was an alien concept. They said they wanted a simple song and scoffed at my idea. I was very raw and naive then. But ultimately it's a learning process.

Now the song is such a phenomenal hit. The response has been truly overwhelming and incredible. I can see that spark and enthusiasm in audiences eyes even when I perform today. Even the trade guys gave the song a thumbs up. What more could I have asked for?

Also see: Sukhvinder sings Chaiyya Chaiyya

Back

|

Next