Jagjit Singh sat on a broken chair and get his makeup done, Asha Bhosle was a complete diva: Directors recall working with iconic singers

Indian Express

15-05-2025

Director duo Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru are known for directing the romantic sleeper hit Sanam Teri Kasam (2016), which attracted more footfalls than many new releases upon its re-release earlier this year. But prior to entering movies with Lucky: No Time For Love (2005), they were renowned for directing music videos with the best in business, like the late Jagjit Singh, Pankaj Udhas, and Asha Bhosle.
'He was one badshah (king) man,' said Sapru about Singh, recalling, 'The best part of working with him was that every meeting was over a meal (laughs). He used to call us to his favourite restaurant in the Racecourse, Gallops, in the evenings. But I must tell you one thing, he was one artist who didn't need a video, and the only singer besides Lata Mangeshkar, who didn't do too many music videos.'
Sapru and Rao said all veteran singers, from Singh, Udhas to Bhosle, were professional about music videos, coming on time, how to look into the camera, and making sure hair, make-up, and costume are in place. 'Asha ji is a diva! She's as fond of dressing up, wearing shoes, make-up, and jewellery as she's fond of singing. She can do days of discussions on that. She's just amazing,' said Rao, adding that Bhosle would get her make-up done only by the seasoned make-up artist, Mickey Contractor.
The director duo said that these singers didn't need them to prove themselves, yet they were extremely dedicated and focused, and committed to the process of making music videos. 'We'd take shots even till 2 am. There weren't even vanity vans back then. They all used to sit on chairs on the road. When we shot with Jagjit Singh ji at Edward Theatre, a worn-out theatre in town (South Mumbai), he'd sit on a broken theatre chair for make-up,' said Sapru. 'He was surprisingly very funny. We assumed he'd be quite serious. But as soon as his velvety voice faded after the recording, he'd make you laugh so much. He was very sarcastic with a biting wit,' added Rao.
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The duo said it was easy to convince these legends to do music videos, with the exception of one incident involving late ghazal singer Pankaj Udhas. 'At that time, MTV had just come in. So its programming head decided they won't play ghazals,' recalled Sapru, adding, 'We recorded a song with Pankaj ji, Ahista, and we said we want to do a cross-cultural love story on this. We introduced Sameera Reddy as an Indian girl who'd fall in love with a white Australian boy. She will make the first move, he won't. So Pankaj ji got a little perturbed. He said my morality is being slightly changed here. He said this isn't my audience. The guy should do it,' said Sapru. But he claimed that when they insisted, Udhas played along, and the music video turned out to be a huge hit.