April 23 (Punjab Khabarnama) : Bollywood superstar Aamir Khan on Monday evening launched a new rendition of his iconic song Papa Kehte Hain from Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988), his debut film as a lead actor. Titled Papa Kehte Hain 2.0, the track is from Srikanth, which features Rajkummar Rao. Singer Udit Narayan, the voice behind Papa Kehte Hain, was also present at the event.
What Aamir and Udit said
Aamir recalled at the event that Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak was the first film of not only him, but also co-star Juhi Chawla, music composers Anand-Milind singers Udit Narayan and Alka Yagnik, director Mansoor Khan, and many of the crew members. He remember feeling unsure of the film and seeing “only the flaws” when he watched it with Mansoor.
“But one day it released and it was wonderful to see the journey he had. I like to believe Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak is a milestone in Indian cinema. From 1988 onwards, you can see the shift happening,” he added. Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak was directed by his cousin Mansoor Khan and produced by his legendary uncle, Nasir Hussain.
Udit Narayan also recalled that he wanted to go back home when asked to sing for Aamir back then. “36 years ago they introduced me to Aamir and said that I have to sing a song for him. I was sacred and I was ready to go back home if the song didn’t work,” he said. Aamir joked that Udit may have wondered if Aamir is really an actor.
About Srikanth
In Srikanth, Rajkummar portrays the life of Srikanth Bolla. He is an Indian entrepreneur who founded Bollant Industries, employing unskilled and differently-abled individuals. Born visually impaired in 1992 near Hyderabad, his life story is inspiring.
He said, “I found Srikanth Bolla’s story very inspiring. Born in a very poor family, how he achieved so much in his life, that he established a million-dollar company. Apart from that, he is also visually impaired. I have never played such a role, so it was very challenging for me. I felt that it would take a lot of fear to do it, but when you feel fear, you will enjoy it.”
Talking about his preparation work, he added, “The preparation was very important for this role. We used to go to blind schools for hours. We used to spend time with real-life visually impaired people. So to see and observe a lot from them, also to know about their life, that how they see the world. I spent a lot of time with Srikanth. Because we are putting his life on the screen. So to understand things from him, how he used to see things, how he made a decision. I got a lot of information from him.”
Produced by T-Series and Chalk N Cheese Films Production LLP, the movie is directed by Tushar Hiranandani and written by Jagdeep Sidhu and Sumit Purohit. Srikanth is slated to have a theatrical release on May 10, 2024.