To silence Subhash Ghai, AR Rahman asked Sukhwinder Singh to write a song: “You’re Expensed in My Name.”

During the filming of Yuvvraaj, filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma recently recalled an instance in which AR Rahman responded to Subhash Ghai’s dissatisfaction. Furious that Rahman was taking so long to write music, Ghai sent him a stern letter requesting that he do it quickly. AR Rahman suggests that they get together to work on the songs in Sukhvinder Singh’s studio.

Yuvvraaj is a film that Subhash Ghai was creating, RGV revealed to Film Companion. Salman (Khan) and Katrina (Kaif) are now Yuvvraaj. Rahman has a bad reputation for holding up the music. Because of his frustration, Subhash Ghai eventually sent Rahman a scathing letter that said, “How can you delay, my dates are here, Salman’s dates are here, and you are not giving the songs?” “I am in London, I’ll come to Bombay (Mumbai) on my way to Chennai and we’ll meet at Sukhvinder Singh’s studio and I’ll make the songs for you there,” Rahman said in response to him.

Rahman was heading from the airport when Ghai visited Sukhvinder’s studio that day, according to RGV.That day, Rahman was leaving the airport when he (Ghai) went to see Sukhvinder, who was playing some music. When Subhash Ghai inquired about his activities, he said that Rahman had phoned and requested him to compose a song. Subhash Ghai lost his temper. He believed that Rahman was forcing someone else to sing the song because he was exerting pressure on him. He assumed that Sukhvinder had misspoken when he told him this, till Rahman arrived and enquired as to if Sukhvinder had created anything. Only before Subhash Ghai did he ask him. Saying “yes,” Sukhvinder had them hear the song. Rahman expressed his liking for it and inquired about Subhash Ghai’s opinion.

RGV said that Ghai screamed at Rahman while furiously furious. He said, “I am paying you crores of rupees as my music director and you are making Sukhvinder make a tune for me,” Subhash Ghai told Rahman, blowing up the situation. Do you really think you could say that in front of me? Who are you to take my money and force Sukhvinder to compose the music for me? If I want Sukhvinder, I’ll sign him.

“This is one of the best responses I have ever heard,” RGV went on. “Sir, you are paying for my name, not my music,” said Rahman. It becomes mine if I endorse it. Since you are here now, how do you know where I got the Taal music? How can you tell which song is… It might have been my driver, someone else, or anything else.

He said that Rahman ultimately sold the song to a different director, who happened to be Jai Ho from the Slumdog Millionaire movie, which won an Oscar. Subhash Ghai had said earlier this year that Jai Ho was supposed to be in Yuvvraaj, but he thought Salman Khan’s film wouldn’t work with it.