Pathaan was a highly anticipated film of 2023 that marked Shah Rukh Khan’s return to the big screen after 4 years. However, before its release, its song Besharam Rang starring Deepika Padukone and SRK created a major controversy. In a new interview, the song’s singer, Shilpa Rao, said she and the team were calm amid the chaos. She explained that the team wanted the people to understand and like the song in their way. So, they didn’t pay much heed to the threats.

Besharam Rang featured Deepika Padukone dancing in different beachwear outfits with SRK. One was an orange-hued bikini, which caused a lot of stir among right-wing organizations. Threats against the team and demands for the song’s ban escalated the situation. 

In a new conversation with The Lallantop, its singer Shilpa Rao was asked what her thoughts were as the whole controversy took place. In her response, she said, “Kuch nahi, we were all aware of it.” She kept it short and explained that she and the team didn’t think much and just focused on the reactions of people. 

Rao mentioned that, unlike the controversy, it’s a beautiful song made to empower people. As a result, they wanted the people to listen and like in their way. 

She said, “I mean, it was just that we wanted people to like it on their terms, apart from all of that. We wanted people to get the song, which means the song is empowering you and celebrating you. We wanted that to happen; that’s why we let it be. We wanted people to understand and absorb it.”

Despite the threats and demands, no action was taken against the makers. Pathaan became a blockbuster at the box office, and the song has gained a massive 677 million views on YouTube, showcasing its success. 

Shilpa Rao started her formal journey in music during her college days when composer and singer Mithun Sharma asked her to record a rendition of the song “Tose Naina” from Anwar. She has lent her voice to popular songs like ‘Chaleya,’ ‘Tere Hawale,’ ‘Malang,’ ‘Bulleya,’ ‘Khuda Jaane,’ ‘Subhanallah’ and more. 

Shah Rukh Khan has given several memorable performances over the years, but one of the most special characters of the actor is ‘Aman’ from Kal Ho Naa Ho. Its director, Nikkhil Advani, recently revealed that the actor had read the first page and glanced at other pages of the script rather than reading it. He did it because he trusted Karan Johar’s writing and Advani’s direction.

Nikkhil Advani debuted as a director with the King Khan starrer, but the superstar expressed full faith in him. He recalled the incident in a conversation on Cyrus Says YouTube channel: “Shah Rukh went to Yash Johar and said, ‘I will do another film with Dharma Productions only if Nikkhil directs it.’

Before the film, Advani was an assistant director on the sets of Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, sharing a close bond with him. So, the faith of the actor did wonders for the filmmaker, helping him begin his career on a big note.

He admitted the immense contribution of King Khan and said, “I owe Shah Rukh a lot — I owe him my entire career as a director.” The director also shared that Khan was keen to explore different roles apart from love stories during that phase and they discussed it a lot on set. 

Although Karan Johar wrote the plot for the film, he gave the responsibility to Nikkhil for directing it, which was a big opportunity for him. Despite it being the first project, the Pathaan actor didn’t step back. Instead, he didn’t read the script properly because he trusted their vision. 

Advani recounted, “Shah Rukh read the first page, glanced over the interval point, and then skipped to the last page. He didn’t read the entire script. He simply said, ‘I know Karan has written it, and you’re directing it, so I’m in good hands.'”

Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003) still remains an iconic film and Khan’s character Aman made us laugh, blush, and weep while watching the film being etched in our memories. Eventually, it became a massive success at the box office and gained critical acclaim.