How Singer Abhijeet Faced The Underworld Don Abu Salem
An unforgettable chapter in Abhijeet Bhattacharya's life, recounting his battle against the menacing Abu Salem.
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00:00 During the time when the underworld was being threatened, like the murder of Gulshan ji, many people were threatened to work for the underworld.
00:14 Or the music concerts that were held outside were pressurized.
00:18 Yes, I have heard that.
00:19 So, did you ever face such a thing?
00:21 I had not reached such a high league that someone would say such things about my concert.
00:31 There would be small-time gang members who would be talking about such things.
00:38 Because in the matter of concert, people can talk about superstar concerts like Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan, we will do this show, we will pay.
00:49 But in my show, they don't have such a big-scale show that a gangster would talk about my show.
00:57 So, I was not there.
00:58 But yes, Abu Salim had taken a chance.
01:02 He used to call me.
01:03 Earlier, he used to call me by the name of Pathak and sometimes by some other name.
01:09 So, he used to say that he had a mobile phone.
01:13 He used to say that I should call him from outside and tell him that this is the number of Dubai.
01:19 Now, you understand who is speaking.
01:21 He is speaking from Dubai.
01:22 What should I do?
01:24 I did not have the capacity to do what he is asking for.
01:27 And I did not have the capacity to say no or yes to him.
01:31 I said that I cannot do anything.
01:33 What will you do?
01:34 Shoot him.
01:35 Shoot him.
01:36 What will you do?
01:37 I cannot give you.
01:38 What will you get?
01:39 You are dealing with the producer.
01:41 Do it in that.
01:42 We are not in the business.
01:43 We sing songs.
01:44 You are doing this show.
01:45 I have seen it.
01:46 You come in this program as a judge.
01:48 You come here.
01:49 And everyone is surprised.
01:50 Give me his number.
01:51 Give me his number.
01:52 I said, what number?
01:53 So, he was happy.
01:54 I said, okay, we will be having a party at night.
01:57 His girlfriend was there.
01:58 I married her.
01:59 She was also in jail.
02:00 So, people become heroines in films like this.
02:02 So, I took the name that they will be there.
02:12 So, I sang this song.
02:14 It is his favorite song.
02:16 You sing this song.
02:17 I will put the mic on the phone and sing it in the speaker.
02:22 So, I used to sing the song of Dhadkan.
02:25 I used to sing it and write in the account that okay,
02:28 you have become so less.
02:29 So much less.
02:30 So many crores.
02:31 In those days, in the 90s, he was asking for so many crores.
02:35 So, I used to reduce it.
02:37 I said, okay, keep doing it.
02:39 But it shouldn't be that if I sing more, you have to give it back.
02:42 You have to write the account.
02:44 It will be plus.
02:46 So, it happened with me.
02:49 Sir, if someone asks you to sing a song of Yes Boss,
02:53 will you sing a song of Dushyant Ali?
02:55 I will not sing a song of Yes Boss.
02:56 It is possible.
02:57 You can sing any song.
02:58 Yes, yes.
02:59 It happens.
03:00 It is not good from the inside, from the heart that I do this work.
03:04 It happens to many people.
03:05 When you get a job satisfaction,
03:08 then you think that if the environment is not good,
03:12 then I cannot do this work.
03:14 Now I am talking to Mr. Rehman.
03:16 I had a super hit song.
03:18 I sang with him.
03:20 "O audience, listen to me."
03:25 And before that, he had called me in Rangeela.
03:29 So, already Udit had sung that song.
03:35 "Kya kahen ki na kahen ki, kaise mushkil hai."
03:41 Whatever that song was.
03:42 So, he had called me that the song has changed.
03:44 The lyrics have changed.
03:46 So, now, and the character is also changing a little.
03:50 So, since Udit is singing for the character,
03:53 now you will be using different way.
03:55 Maybe Aamir Khan's character is showing another character.
04:01 So, Ram Gopal and I went in the flight together.
04:05 And we went to Chennai.
04:07 We sat.
04:08 We discussed in the hotel.
04:10 Then I sang that song.
04:13 So, on the first day, my experience was that
04:16 we go to work when we work.
04:20 We don't know anything about the song.
04:23 We knew that after A. R. Rahman's Roza,
04:25 new songs like Rangeela, etc.
04:27 were completely fresh.
04:29 So, there is no system to work.
04:33 I am sitting in the hotel.
04:35 Phone is ringing, "We will call you."
04:39 Till now, I thought that I should get the song.
04:42 I should get the lyrics.
04:43 I should sing once.
04:44 Because, I get scared.
04:46 What if I can't do it?
04:49 For us, it is an exam.
04:51 With whom I have not worked.
04:53 With whom I have worked, I know what to do.
04:56 So, I was scared.
04:59 Suddenly, the phone rang.
05:01 One day passed, the next day.
05:04 I am going back to Bombay.
05:07 In that mental state,
05:09 till now, the phone is ringing from here.
05:12 From there, Anu Mallik's,
05:14 at that time, Jagdish's phone was ringing.
05:17 "Dada, where are you?
05:19 Today, you are here."
05:21 I was like, "How? What should I do?"
05:23 Not certain, what is happening?
05:26 Suddenly, he called me.
05:29 "Sing this song like this."
05:31 Then, I felt that there is no music environment here.
05:34 It is just patching up.
05:36 They are giving you a song.
05:39 And you have to sing this much.
05:41 After this, sing this much.
05:43 In this lyrics, sing this much.
05:45 In different lyrics, sing this much.
05:47 I was like, "What kind of song is this?"
05:50 Sing the song, get ready, go in front of the mic.
05:54 I didn't know the patch work from here to there.
05:58 I will reach this stage.
06:01 Then, the song, what happened or not happened,
06:08 later it is seen that the song was being picturized.
06:11 It was different lyrics.
06:14 Then, they kept the original song.
06:16 Udit's, I mean, if you ask my favorite singer,
06:19 that is Udit Narayan.
06:21 So, for me, it was a very bad challenge.
06:23 Don't ask Udit as a singer,
06:27 but when he hears a song,
06:29 when his voice is heard,
06:31 then only it gets established.
06:33 So, I felt a shock then,
06:37 that what kind of,
06:39 I don't know what I have sung,
06:41 what I have sung.
06:43 Something is coming from here,
06:45 from there, do this.
06:47 First, it felt unmusical.
06:49 After that, next, once I sang,
06:51 at 2.30 in the night,
06:56 the phone is ringing.
06:58 I mean, the hotel, we were called in the morning.
07:01 We left by the morning flight.
07:03 At that time, my recording was going on.
07:05 All the music directors.
07:07 I reached there,
07:10 "You go to the hotel, we will call you."
07:12 I don't know the song, what is missing.
07:14 I came to know that
07:16 there is an assistant.
07:18 He is calling me,
07:20 "You come, sing."
07:22 And he is telling me the song,
07:24 what is missing.
07:26 I went to sing, A. R. Rahman's song.
07:28 So, I don't know who is the music director,
07:30 who is singing, what is missing.
07:32 So, I sang this song.
07:34 And my next day's schedule
07:36 was completely missed.
07:40 So, I missed one song.
07:42 I still remember.
07:44 It was a big hit.
07:46 Because I rehearsed that song
07:50 and went to Bombay.
07:52 And I had to dub it later.
07:54 And I couldn't reach.
07:56 So, who sang that song?
07:58 Maybe Shanu sang it.
08:00 It's a long story.
08:02 So, I missed that song.
08:04 After that,
08:08 I got a call.
08:10 This song became a super hit.
08:12 A. R. Rahman's song.
08:16 "O' viewers, listen to me."
08:18 After it became a hit,
08:22 when the song became a hit
08:24 and the movie didn't run,
08:26 I got a call again.
08:28 I think, what was the name of the secretary?
08:30 Lawrence or some.
08:32 "Sir, another song,
08:36 another super hit song."
08:38 I said, "No."
08:40 "My return flight
08:42 will be at this time.
08:44 And tomorrow I cannot come."
08:46 "I cannot come tomorrow."
08:48 So, I said, "No."
08:52 "Tomorrow you should come."
08:56 "You should not miss the Rahman song."
08:58 So, I said, "Once I did it,
09:02 but I missed one song."
09:04 "So, better I will give you the date."
09:06 "And tell me the time."
09:10 "I will reach at this time and leave at this time."
09:12 After that,
09:14 I never worked with him.
09:16 Because, if you work on
09:20 someone else's terms and conditions,
09:22 and the rest of the people
09:24 who are like my God here,
09:26 in Mumbai,
09:28 who work in music,
09:30 patching, putting this here,
09:32 putting that here,
09:34 you see, there is a song,
09:36 it is such a super hit,
09:38 in that, even Sonu does not know,
09:40 Sonu has been given the alaap,
09:42 and the song is of Javed Ali.
09:44 This is very sad,
09:46 it is a very bad thing.
09:48 No one knows who is who.
09:50 So, in all these things,
09:52 it becomes strange.
09:54 After that,
09:56 we do not do it.
09:58 (Music)
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