I am fascinated with how cycles of fortune throw people in and out of dustbins. While recording the background music of my first film, a violin player from a group of musicians came up to me and said that my film would become a huge hit. That was the first compliment I ever received in my life.

Subsequently, he introduced me to a lyric writer. The lyricist gave me a visiting card which I placed in my pocket and forgot all about it. Some years later, I was to catch a flight from Hyderabad to Chennai for a song recording. Just before the flight, my mother brought me a bunch of visiting cards which were gathering dust on my desk. I told her to throw them in the dustbin.
Meanwhile, a very popular lyricist who was supposed to join me in Chennai, said that he couldn’t make it. I was cheesed off. Then I remembered the discarded visiting cards. I phoned my mother to retrieve the lyric writer’s card from the dustbin. Fortunately, the cards were still there and she identified the one I needed immediately. The lyricist was flown to Chennai. Overnight, he wrote a song for Drohi. Both Drohi and the song bombed.
But I kept in constant touch with the violinist and the lyricist. When I told them about my concept of Rangeela, they came up with a song suitable for the film’s story. I was very impressed and promised them that they would do the music score of Rangeela.
As it happened, though, Mani Ratnam made me hear the songs of Roja. I was simply blown away by A.R. Rahman’s orchestral brilliance. So I went back on my commitment to the violin player and signed Rahman instead. Quite understandably, the violinist was upset. The lyricist pleaded with me not to renege on his friend. I said that it was a professional decision. Period.
As for the lyricist, when I spoke to Rahman about him, he said rightaway, “Let’s go with him. If he’s good enough for you, he is good enough for me.”
That’s how lyricist Mehboob came into Rangeela, minus his friend the violinist. Tanha tanha was the first song written by Mehboob. Mani Ratnam said that it was after ages that he had heard a Hindi film song which didn’t have any of the cliched words like dil, deewana and sanam. Mani signed Mehboob for the lyrics of Bombay.
With the super success of the music of Bombay and Rangeela, Mehboob became a big name. He earned so much market equity that he recommended his friend, the violin player, to Sanjay Leela Bhansali for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. And so Ismail Durbar was born. After the tremendous success of the film’s music, which coincided with the flop of my Daud, I called up Ismail Durbar to congratulate him. He didn’t take my calls. In an interview, he said that every film-maker was calling to work with him, including Ram Gopal Varma. That was his way of getting revenge for dumping him from Rangeela.
Ismail Durbar and Mehboob, who were responsible for each other’s careers, went on to break up because of differences. Both faced a slump in their careers. Now when they call me to patch up, I don’t take their calls. I don’t have the time or the inclination to dwell on things which went sour.
Neither do I need to call up my mother to retrieve a visiting card from the dustbin.