Masakali’s Secret Origin: From Om Shanti Om to Delhi 6

While strolling through Vishal Dadlani’s sprawling farmhouse, Farah Khan let slip a piece of Bollywood trivia that has fans buzzing: the peppy, feather‑light number “Masakali” wasn’t always destined for Sonam Kapoor’s Delhi 6.

According to Farah, when she was deep in the pre‑production of Om Shanti Om (2007), she chatted with Vishal about bringing A.R. Rahman on board to score the film. “I told him I was going to approach Rahman,” she recalled in the vlog. “If he said no, I’d call Vishal and Shekhar.” The plan, she says, was straightforward – get the maestro’s magic and weave it into the movie’s retro‑glam vibe.

And then Rahman delivered – the first track he composed for the film turned out to be “Masakali.” Farah laughed, “I loved that song, I loved that word, but I honestly didn’t know where to slot it in.” The piece, with its whimsical lyrics and chirpy chorus, simply didn’t fit the narrative flow of Om Shanti Om as she imagined it.

Vishal, ever the supportive colleague, quipped that even if he and Shekhar hadn’t gotten the call, the soundtrack would have still been a “big, masala” affair. He reminisced about the days before AI‑driven music, when they handcrafted beats and enjoyed the process purely for fun.

Eventually, the song found a new home. Director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, looking for a breezy, youthful track for his 2009 drama Delhi 6, adopted “Masakali.” The song, rendered by Mohit Chauhan, instantly became a fan favourite, its feather‑light vibe perfectly complementing the film’s New‑Delhi backdrop.

Fast forward to 2020, “Masakali” got a remix – Tanishk Bagchi re‑imagined it with vocals from Sachet Tandon and Tulsi Kumar for Marjaavaan. The new version, however, sparked a mixed reaction; many purists preferred the original’s unadulterated charm.

So, the next time you hear the whistling tune drifting from a party speaker, remember: it was almost a Shah Rukh‑Deepika duet, but destiny (and a bit of musical indecision) rerouted it to Delhi’s bustling streets. And that, dear reader, is how Bollywood’s behind‑the‑scenes stories often twist and turn, much like the bird‑like “Masakali” itself.