{
  "type": "article",
  "title": "How 'Masakali' Was Originally Made For A Shah Rukh Khan Film Before Turning Into Delhi-6's 17-Year Hit",
  "summary": "Farah Khan has revealed that A.R. Rahman originally composed 'Masakali' for 'Om Shanti Om', before the song later became part of 'Delhi-6' and turned into a 17-year-old hit.",
  "content": "The pigeon-winged anthem 'Masakali' from the 2009 film Delhi-6 has stayed on people's playlists for 17 years, but few know that A.R. Rahman originally composed the tune for a completely different film.\n\nFarah Khan's Revelation\nFilmmaker Farah Khan recently visited composer Vishal Dadlani's farmhouse, where she shared a little-known story about 'Masakali'. According to Farah, A.R. Rahman did not create the song for 'Delhi-6'. He first composed it for Shah Rukh Khan's film 'Om Shanti Om'. In other words, the track that fans now associate entirely with 'Delhi-6' actually began its journey with a different movie altogether.\n\n'Om Shanti Om', released in 2007, starred Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone, and it was for this film that Rahman first began working on 'Masakali'. So the song people now link with 'Delhi-6' was originally meant for this earlier project.\n\nRahman First, Then Vishal-Shekhar\nFarah revealed that she had approached A.R. Rahman first to compose the music for 'Om Shanti Om'. However, things did not work out for reasons that were not detailed, and Vishal-Shekhar eventually came on board for the film's music. Interestingly, the very first song Rahman created for 'Om Shanti Om' was 'Masakali' itself. Farah said she loved both the tune and its title, but for some reason it could not be included in 'Om Shanti Om' at that time.\n\nA New Identity With Delhi-6\nA couple of years later, 'Masakali' found its way into Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's 'Delhi-6', released in 2009. The song was picturised on Abhishek Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor. 'Delhi-6' was a story woven around the narrow lanes of Delhi, its relationships, its society and the way people there think, and 'Masakali' fit the mood of that story perfectly. The song used a pigeon to depict the distance between freedom and confinement, matching the film's tone. That is why 'Masakali' turned into the film's biggest identity the moment it released, and it became a massive hit. Mohit Chauhan's powerful voice combined with A.R. Rahman's music gave the song a lasting magic that has not faded even 17 years later. Even today, the song frequently shows up on wedding playlists, reels and radio countdowns, a rare feat for a soundtrack this old.\n\nA Word You Won't Find In The Dictionary\nHere's another interesting detail about the song: the word 'Masakali' has no fixed meaning in the dictionary. A.R. Rahman did not coin the word around any specific meaning; he chose it purely for how it sounded and how well it matched the tune. In other words, 'Masakali' is a word that sounds distinctive and blends perfectly with the song's rhythm, even though it carries no direct linguistic meaning. That is exactly why listeners still search for what the word means, only to find that no dictionary has an answer for them. That quirk has not hurt the song at all; if anything, the mystery around its meaning has only added to its charm over the years.\n\nQuestions & Answers\n\n1. Which film is the song 'Masakali' from?\nThe song is from the 2009 film 'Delhi-6'.\n\n2. Who was 'Masakali' picturised on?\nThe song was picturised on Abhishek Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor.\n\n3. Was 'Masakali' originally made for a different film?\nYes, according to Farah Khan, A.R. Rahman first composed it for Shah Rukh Khan's film 'Om Shanti Om'.\n\n4. Who sang 'Masakali' and who composed its music?\nThe song was sung by Mohit Chauhan, with music composed by A.R. Rahman.\n\n5. What does the word 'Masakali' mean?\nThe word 'Masakali' has no fixed dictionary meaning; A.R. Rahman coined it purely based on how it sounded.\n\n6. When and where did Farah Khan reveal this story?\nFarah Khan shared this story recently during a conversation at composer Vishal Dadlani's farmhouse.",
  "url": "https://trendkia.com/en/bollywood/17-sala-purana-gana-masakali-daraasala-kisi-aura-philma-ke-lie-bana-tha-farah-khan-ne-khola-raza-28585",
  "category": "Bollywood",
  "publishedAt": "2026-09-06",
  "tags": [
    "Masakali song",
    "Delhi-6",
    "Om Shanti Om",
    "A.R. Rahman",
    "Farah Khan",
    "Abhishek Bachchan",
    "Mohit Chauhan"
  ],
  "language": "en",
  "site": "TrendKia"
}