It is hard to imagine the songs of Aashiqui 2 without the voice of Arijit Singh. It has been over a decade since Tum Hi Ho and other songs from the soundtrack became chartbusters, but their craze hasn’t died. The album gave Arijit his breakthrough in playback singing, turning him into the star he is today. However, it almost did not happen that way. The songs were originally recorded by KK, and Arijit was nowhere in the picture.
KK recorded Aashiqui 2 songs
Aashiqui 2 was a spiritual successor to the 1991 superhit Aashiqui. Like the predecessor, the Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor-starrer was also heavy on its music. Director Mohit Suri says that he went with KK for the voice of Rahul Jaykar, Aditya’s character.
In an exclusive chat with HT, Mohit says, “When I was making Aashiqui 2, I recorded the songs in KK’s voice, and I had done many songs with him, like Kya Mujhe Pyaar Hai and all. But after I recorded that voice, I realised that voice was right for Emraan (Hashmi), a generation earlier. But Aditya Roy Kapur was coming in, and I wanted to find a new guy.”
How Arijit Singh came on board
Mohit says that he then started to look for a new voice, for which he ‘auditioned everyone possible’. Eventually, he came across Arijit’s voice and looked for him. “I went insane looking for someone called Arijit. I realised this is the voice required for the film. Putting in anyone already established would not cut it,” he adds.
Composed by Jeet Ganguli (with Mithoon and Ankit Tiwari serving as guest composers), the soundtrack of Aashiqui 2 was a smash hit. Almost all the songs of the album topped the charts. Tracks like Tum Hi Ho, Bhula Dena, Chahun Main Ya Na, Aasan Nahin Yahan, and Milne Hai Mujhse Aayi were all sung by Arijit. Each one was a grand success. KK did sing one song in the album – Piya Aaye Na. That, too, was a success.
Mohit Suri’s upcoming film
Mohit Suri is returning to the romance genre with his upcoming film, Saiyaara. It stars newcomers Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda. Tanishk Bagchi composed the film’s music. Saiyaara will release on 18 July.
