Veteran lyricist Sameer Anjaan has opened up about a career setback that almost changed the course of his journey, revealing he was nearly roped in for Aamir Khan and Juhi Chawla’s iconic Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak before being replaced at the eleventh hour. He shared the story during a recent conversation.
How Sameer Anjaan got close to ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’
Recalling his early bond with composer duo Anand-Milind, Sameer Anjaan told Komal Nahta, “I became good friends with Anand-Milind. This is when they were offered ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’. When Mansoor Khan expressed a desire to make a film, his father (Nasir Hussain) asked him to first make a video film or documentary. As a result, he made a film called Umberto; it was shot in Bandra. It had two songs, which I wrote. Every night, we used to hang out at Mansoor’s bungalow. Aamir and Anand-Milind used to also join us.”
The rift that changed everything
He further explained how Nasir Hussain wanted his son to continue working with R D Burman and Majrooh Sultanpuri, but Mansoor pushed back, saying, “Main toh naye logon ke saath kaam karoonga. I’ll feel uncomfortable with such senior people.” Recounting the compromise that followed, Sameer said, “Finally, they reached a middle ground – ek tera, ek mera. In the process, Anand-Milind were retained as the music directors, while Majrooh Sultanpuri came on board as the lyricist. Aur main kat gaya (smiles). Meanwhile, ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’ became a blockbuster.“
Eventual collaborations with Mansoor Khan and Aamir Khan
Mansoor Khan went on to work with Majrooh again for ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar’ and ‘Akele Hum Akele Tum’, before finally teaming up with Sameer Anjaan on ‘Josh’ (2000), where he penned tracks like ‘Hai Mera Dil’ and ‘Mere Khayalon Ki Malika’. Sameer Anjaan’s first collaboration with Aamir Khan came earlier, with the hit songs of ‘Dil’ (1990).