Suresh Wadkar fondly recalls his early encounter with a young AR Rahman, then known as Dileep, praising his synthesizer skills. Their collaboration on the hit song ‘Pyaar Ye Jaane Kaisa Hai’ from Rangeela was a success. However, a subsequent recording session faced hurdles, leading to disagreements and ultimately preventing further collaborations, despite Wadkar’s continued respect for Rahman’s talent.
AR Rahman’s song Pyaar Ye Jaane Kaisa Hi from Rangeela is still loved by fans even today. Sung by Suresh Wadkar and Kavita Krishnamurthy, it’s a melody that stays with you. Suresh did record one more song with Rahman after this, but their working relationship didn’t last long.
Meeting a young AR Rahman
In an old conversation with Rajshri Unplugged, Wadkar remembered meeting AR Rahman when he was just a young boy. Back then called Dileep, Rahman amazed him with his ease on the synthesizer, which Suresh said he played like water.The veteran singer also recalled getting a call from Madras after hearing about AR Rahman following the release of Roja. He said Rahman had a unique work routine—sleeping until the afternoon and then working straight from 2 PM until 3 or 4 in the morning.
The first hit together
When he first met Rahman, he called him Dileep, the name he remembered from before. He was surprised to learn from lyricist Mehboob that the young composer was now Rahman. Rahman then played him Pyaar Ye Jaane Kaisa Hai, which Suresh loved right away. They chatted for a long time, and the song went on to become a hit.So here’s the thing—after their first hit, things didn’t really click between Wadkar and Rahman. Suresh went to Chennai to record another song, but it didn’t go smoothly. Rahman’s assistant recorded the song with him, and by the time Rahman showed up, he and Sadhana Sargam had already left. After that, they never worked together again.
A small argument leads to a split
The veteran singer said that when the Oscar-winning composer arrived and asked for changes to the song, it didn’t go down well, and they had a small argument. After that, they never worked together again.Despite their fallout, Suresh Wadkar still has great respect for AR Rahman. He called the Oscar-winning composer very talented, praised his work, and wished him well as the first Indian to win an Oscar.
