Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali just dropped a hilarious behind-the-scenes gem from the making of Rockstar. Turns out, music maestro A. R. Rahman once had a wild idea—he wanted Ranbir Kapoor to sing all the songs in the film. Yes, all 14 of them!
In a candid audio note shared on social media, Imtiaz recalled the moment Rahman brought up the idea and how both he and Ranbir quickly shut it down. Cinecrazy got the inside scoop straight from the director himself.
The Moment Ranbir Freaked Out
According to Imtiaz, Rahman had asked during Rockstar whether Ranbir could sing. If he could, Rahman thought it would be brilliant for the actor to voice the entire album. But Imtiaz immediately said, ‘No sir. Please don’t even go in that direction.’
Rahman wasn’t ready to give up—he wanted to hear Ranbir first. So Imtiaz passed the idea to Ranbir, and the actor’s reaction was pure panic. ‘Ranbir had freaked out doubly more than me,’ Imtiaz recalled. ‘He said, “No, please. I never want to sing in front of him.”’
And just like that, the dream of a Ranbir-sung Rockstar album went up in smoke. In the end, professional playback singers took over, with Mohit Chauhan voicing nine of the 14 songs. The soundtrack, composed by Rahman, went on to become a classic.
How Actors Started Singing in Imtiaz’s Films
While Ranbir wasn’t ready to take the mic, his ‘nazar’ (blessing) opened doors for other actors in Imtiaz’s projects. The filmmaker revealed that Alia Bhatt became the first actor to sing playback in his film—in Highway. That was a game-changer.
Since then, Parineeti Chopra and Diljit Dosanjh have also sung in his films, including Amar Singh Chamkila. And now Diljit is set to sing in the upcoming Main Vapas Aaunga. But the freshest news? Young Vedang Raina is crooning his own part in the Maskara song from Imtiaz’s next film.
‘I have a dream of making a musical where actors are singing and acting and dancing, and everything is recorded live,’ Imtiaz shared. ‘I get very excited when actors can sing.’
Vedang Raina’s Lucky Break
Vedang’s singing debut wasn’t planned—it was a happy coincidence. Imtiaz had heard that Vedang sings and asked him to send some songs. While Vedang was at the office one day, Hiral, the music supervisor who works with Rahman, happened to visit. They were discussing the Maskara tune, and Vedang was curious.
‘Hiral asked him whether he sings. We asked him to sing those parts right there,’ Imtiaz recalled. ‘He was hitting the notes, and we invited him to Rahman sir’s studio that night. He sang there. He was meticulous, a little nervous—but he wanted to get it right.’
Impressed, Rahman gave the green light. Now everyone is humming Vedang’s part in Maskara. Who knows—maybe one day Ranbir will finally overcome his fear and sing for Imtiaz!