Vidhu Vinod Chopra states, "He was wearing a white shirt, his usual red muffler around his neck and a little cap on his head. Hence, at 11 PM, as soon as Pancham da entered the set, the song 'Ek Ladki Ko Dekha' was played on the loudspeakers and fireworks lit up the sky. They wanted the bash to be a celebration of R D Burman's music. On New Year's Eve 1993, Vidhu Vinod Chopra threw a party on the sets of the film.
In fact, he passed away before the release of the film. Unfortunately, R D Burman was not alive to see the immediate excitement generated by the songs of 1942 – A Love Story. As for Kumar Sanu, he also managed to emerge victorious but for the song 'Ek Ladki Ko Dekha'. Kavita Krishnamurthy won the Black Lady for Best Female Playback Singer for the song 'Chupke Se'. Javed Akhtar won the Best Lyrics for the song 'Ek Ladki Ko Dekha'. R D Burman got the award for Best Music, defeating the juggernaut, popular album of Hum Aapke Hain Koun (1994). He then recorded 'Kuch Na Kaho' and the rest is history.Īt the 40th Filmfare Awards, 1942 – A Love Story sweeped all the music awards. He also gifted a fountain pen to Vidhu Vinod Chopra. Three days later, he was back at the studio and was well-rested and clean shaven. Kumar Sanu, however, didn't feel bad and understood Vidhu's point. R D Burman tried to control the situation but Vidhu told him that he'll have to pay for this shift, which is fine with him, but he doesn't want the song to be recorded in a 'broken and tired voice'. And in case that's not possible, they'll look for some other singer. He also told him that they'll record the song when he has a whole day. Vidhu told him to go home and rest as he 'looks like a mess'. He saw Kumar Sanu had appeared unshaven and seemed sleep-deprived. At this, Vidhu Vinod Chopra lost his temper. To which Kumar Sanu said that he was busy recording in another part of the city and that he has just half an hour. R D Burman went into the recording cabin and asked him to sing well. The shift was about to end and Vidhu was agitated as he feared his money would go waste. And moreover, Vidhu says that 'he sang terribly'! Vidhu naturally was angry as those were the days when musicians played live and were paid for four-hour shifts. On the day of recording, he walked in quite late. Vidhu Vinod Chopra reveals that he was the prominent singer then and hence, quite busy as well. The singer who infused life into 'Kuch Na Kaho' was Kumar Sanu. And Vidhu knew he had a winner in his hands.
R D Burman took two weeks but finally cracked the tune of 'Kuch Na Kaho'. However, Vidhu ended up telling him that it's bullshit! Vidhu Vinod Chopra didn't like it and in hindsight, he reveals that he should have told the composer that he could do better. The song 'Kuch Na Kaho' still holds a special place in our hearts and interestingly, R D Burman had composed a different tune for it.
Today, 1942 – A Love Story's songs are considered as one of the best in the history of Indian cinema. The music company, HMV, had in fact told Vidhu Vinod Chopra that they will pay him if they hire a new guy but if he opts for R D Burman, they might not buy the music. This was a time when R D Burman's music was not working and yet, Vidhu decided to rope him for 1942 – A Love Story as well.
Tu aayega toh maza aayega." Vidhu obviously was touched and said in the book, “That’s R D Burman for you.” He also told Vidhu, " Tu kal aa jaana Film Center (at the recording). However, R D Burman insisted that he'll still do the song recording and that he'll pay for it from his own pocket. Fearing the film might get stalled, Vidhu told Burman to cancel the recording.
R D Burman, meanwhile, was already on board and he was all set to record the song 'Pyar Ke Mod Pe'. Vidhu Vinod Chopra reveals that initially, Anil Kapoor had declined to work in Parinda due to some issue.