How a real-life wedding inspired Tere Hawaale song sequence in Laal Singh Chadha | The Song Story

Ever heard a song and wondered what's its story - how it came about, why the makers placed it in a particular sequence, why it's picturised a certain way or why it features some specific scenes? If you've found yourself pondering over any of the above points on more than one occasion, well, then, you've landed at the right place. Here, in The Song Story, we decode the making of some of Indian cinema's most memorable songs.

On August 11, 2022, Laal Singh Chaddha hit the big screen. Stakes were high for the official Hindi remake of the 1994 American film Forrest Gump. Helmed by Advait Chandan, the film brought together Aamir Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan, a pair that had previously worked together in 3 Idiots and Talaash: The Answer Lies Within, among other films. Despite mixed reviews and decent word of mouth, the big-budget production tanked at the box office. The film, however, generated buzz with its subsequent arrival on OTT months later.

But even amidst the underwhelming numbers at the ticket windows, its song 'Tere Hawaale' tugged at the heartstrings of viewers. Amitabh Bhattacharya's lyrics, Pritam Chakraborty's music, Shilpa Rao and Arijit Singh's voices - the song had just the right names backing it. And just like the film, the song continues to find love years after its release, especially during the wedding season. 

But did you know it didn't actually start out as a wedding song. The original brief, as revealed in a recent making video of the song, was something that would fit the idea of a childhood first love - to trace Laal and Rupa's love story in the film. However, once the song was written and composed, the makers felt it doesn't fit the pre-decided narrative and instead, would do wonders as a wedding song. And so it did. 

Notably, the picturisation of the song took inspiration from a real-life wedding. "The idea popped up from there, how simply you can take it into your backyard - only this whole wedding, not in the premise, but taking it a little away from the house," explained production designer Mustafa Stationwala.

However, it wasn't the smoothest of shoots. Strong gusts of wind made filming so challenging at the location that several crew members had to be stationed out of frame to hold the pillars from falling. "But people are humming the song and enjoying the whole breadth of it," he added.

Costume designer Maxima Basu echoed a similar sentiment about the energy during the shoot of the track. "Actually the blessings flew with it," she said. The track that sums up the essence of the film and the duo's love story features in the Anand Karaj ceremony of Laal and Rupa. Those who've watched the film would know life comes a full circle for its two lead characters and the song encapsulates it all too well.