Farhad Samji he may now be known as a filmmaker, having directed films like ‘Housefull 4’, ‘Bachchhan Paandey’ and ‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan’, but he started his career as a lyricist, penning over 100 songs. In a recent conversation with Siddharth Kannan, Samji recalled how he came up with the iconic theme song ‘M Bole To’ for ‘Munna Bhai MBBS’, a film that was initially being developed with Shah Rukh Khan in mind
Farhad Samji recalls ‘Munna Bhai MBBS’ with Shah Rukh Khan
Recalling how the opportunity presented itself, Samji said, “A situation arose with Anu Malik for Munna Bhai. One night around 10 pm, Anu Malik called me and said, ‘Tomorrow Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Raju Hirani are coming to sit.’ You do a mukhda (opening return) for something, and we’ll play together and play it for them. And I couldn’t miss this opportunity.”He added, “At that time, I was told that Shah Rukh Khan was the hero. If you know, Munna Bhai was supposed to star Shah Rukh, not Sanjay Dutt. They told me, “He is a caper character. Since you write well, add a few English words to the tapori language so that it balances with Shah Rukh’s image.” So I wrote, “M bole to Master mein Master, B bole to Bindass Doctor, S bole to Shaana Character.” I gave them this mukhda, played it and they liked it, obviously.“
Farhad Samji recalls interaction with Amitabh Bachchan
Samji also recalled a memorable interaction with Amitabh Bachchan while working on the title track of ‘Bol Bachchan’, which required the veteran actor to perform a rap.“I wrote the title song of ‘Bol Bachchan’, for Bachchan saab. We went to see him and played it for him. In fact, I have a very bad habit. I play everything with a bit of mimicry and changing my pitch. That way, everyone can hear it. Like the opening of Bol Bachchan’s title song. At first I was saying to Bachchan saab, ‘Sir, you have to say this.’ He said, ‘Kya-kya batao?'” (What should everything say?)Samji then recited the rap he had written for the actor: “Debating the diabolical diagnosis of decisive release, a papad is a jhaapad rhyming replica, where one enjoys your hunger and the other your anger. Similarly, Bachchan is a rhyming replica of ‘Bol Bachchan’, where one stands for a magnanimous name while the other stands for game, game, hideous game.”He recalled Bachchan’s reaction with a serious face: “At this age, you’re making me do all this, miyan?”Recalling how he reacted at the time, Samji added: “And then you end up looking away, thinking, ‘Oh, geez, how can I even make eye contact now?’Samji shared that a similar incident took place during his first narration of Chennai Express to Shah Rukh Khan. The 2013 film, which he co-wrote with Rohit Shetty, marked a shift towards full-fledged comedy for the superstar.“With ‘Chennai Express’, Shah Rukh was doing a full-on comedy for the first time. Of course, he had done comedies before, but for a long time his image had been mainly that of a romantic hero. Then came Chennai Express, entering the world of Rohit Shetty and Farhad Samji, where he was ready to do all that. I actually remember when I gave him the first narration. I played it in my usual style.”Recalling Shah Rukh’s response, Samji said, “I went and asked, ‘Sir, do I start?’ He said, “Yes, go ahead.” I had barely been there 40 seconds when he stopped me. ‘What is this? Why are you imitating me? I said, “Sir, this is how I steal.”
Farhad Samji’s recent work
Farhad Samji last directed Salman Khan starrer ‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan’. More recently, he penned the dialogues for ‘Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai’ and ‘Welcome to the Jungle’.