As Kumar’s single Shambhu drops online, composer Vikram discusses how he convinced the superstar to go behind the mic and the prep it entailed
Akshay Kumar
Akshay Kumar may jokingly refer to himself as a bathroom singer, but his love for music has been evident in his past many offerings. If at one point, the actor displayed his rapping skills by joining Snoop Dogg for Singh Is Kinng (2008), he also sang the soft Mujh mein tu hi for Special 26 (2013), and Toilet ka jugaad for Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (2017). Now, he has gone behind the mic again for what may well be his most special song, Shambhu, as it is a tribute to Lord Shiva. In the single that will be released today, the superstar has joined forces with co-singer Sudhir Yaduvanshi to render Vikram Montrose’s composition.
Vikram Montrose
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Originally, Kumar was meant to only feature in the music video. But after composing the track, an idea struck Montrose and music supervisor Meggha Bali. “While we were adding elements to the song, we thought, ‘What if we ask Akshay sir to lend his voice to the song?’ He was surprised that we wanted him to sing, as it was a difficult part in the song; it required a high pitch. But we knew that his voice would elevate it. Akshay sir agreed to it after a little convincing. The amazing part was that when he came to the studio, he was thoroughly prepared. He took his time to understand every bit of the number, and implemented every suggestion that we had. We also witnessed his love for Lord Shiva as he [rendered] every bit with utmost devotion,” recounts the composer. The result—a spiritual number, the video of which sees the actor sporting a rudraksha necklace, dreadlocks and with ash smeared on his forehead, as an ardent devotee.
Lyricist Abhinav Sekhar has penned many of Kumar’s songs, including for his 2023 release Selfiee. But Shambhu, specially created for Mahashivratri, showed him the actor’s musical side. He says, “Akshay sir loved the lyrics at the first go. He recorded it in a day with rehearsals and that too, early in the morning.”
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