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AR Rahman didn't want Baba Sehgal to sing 'Roja' song
09 Jun 2025

Baba Sehgal, a prominent Indi-pop singer, has recently spoken out against the Hindi lyrics of Rukmani Rukmani from Roja (1992).

In a recent interview with Siddharth Kannan, he called the lyrics "cheap" and revealed that composer AR Rahman and director Mani Ratnam were initially opposed to him singing the song.

However, Sehgal noted that the song became a hit, implying his contribution was significant, although this is not explicitly stated in the sources.

Sehgal reveals Rahman and Ratnam wanted classical singers
Classical singers

Sehgal sang the song, despite not liking the lyrics.

He said, "I sang the song. I got to know later that they (Rahman and Ratnam) didn't want me to sing the song."

"They wanted some more classical singers. It was a force thing. I was not at all convinced with the lyrics. They were very cheap, I feel."

Sehgal reveals how he got to know about the song
Song journey

Sehgal recounted his first encounter with the Roja team during a show in Chennai.

An assistant director played him the Tamil version of Rukmani Rukmani, which was composed by Rahman.

He later invited them to his hotel, where they asked him to release the song.

"I called my friend Atul and informed him about the film and song," he said, adding that Magnus Sound's Shashi Gopal was also involved in discussions about making a Hindi version of the song.

'When I saw the Hindi lyrics...': Sehgal
Lyrics criticism

Sehgal didn't like the Hindi lyrics.

He said, "When I saw the Hindi lyrics, I was like, 'Kitne vahiyat lyrics hai yaar. Kisne likha hai ye? (Lyrics are so cheap. Who wrote these lines)?"

"The problem is when we listen to such songs in other languages, we will feel them good. But when we hear it in our own languages, we understand its actual meaning."

Sehgal shared that it turned out to be his first and last collaboration with Rahman.