Arijit Singh was never part of Welcome To New York, clarifies producer
Welcome To New York
Reports had suggested that Salman Khan had made Rahat Fateh Ali Khan re-record a song that was sung by Singh.
Much has been discussed about how Salman Khan had replaced Arijit Singh's song in Welcome To New York and made Rahat Fateh Ali Khan re-record the song. Khan, who has been miffed with Arijit for a while now, had earlier made Khan re-record Jag Ghumeyain Sultan. But while the song in Sultan was actually re-recorded, the news around Welcome To New York is false.
Turns out, Arijit Singh never sang any song in Welcome To New York. A source close to the film flatly denied Singh's inclusion. “Arijit was never part of the film. Don’t know how this piece of news started floating.”
Producer of the film Vashu Bhagnani also echoed the same thoughts, when he was contacted by Indian Express. “I saw all this on TV and online and was so confused as to what was happening. Arijit Singh never sang for Welcome to New York in any capacity and this can be checked. He never sang a scratch either. Shamir (Tandon), the composer of the song and I were interested in a certain texture of voice and Rahat suited it perfectly. So we asked him. If Arijit didn’t sing, how can anyone remove his voice?,” said Bhagnani.
Meanwhile, Union Minister and singer Babul Supriyo had demanded that Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s song be replaced as he was a Pakistani artist.
Supriyo had stated that Indian film industry should not have any alliance with artists across the border for entertainment purposes at a time when tensions on the India-Pak border were at its peak.
Reacting to Supriyo’s statement, director Chakri Toleti said that no decision was taken around the song yet. “I don't understand why we are being targeted like this. Our film Welcome To New York releases this Friday and this is just too much stress. We have made an entertaining film and we don't want to hurt anyone, " the filmmaker added.
Also read: Salman, Arbaz and Sohail Khan to come together in Welcome To New York
With the film’s releasing on February 23rd, the makers are contemplating steps ensure that the film gets a smooth release.
‘Welcome To New York’ is a story of two unlikely youngsters living in India in search of a better life for themselves. An unexpected trip to New York City sets them off on a comedic adventure that changes their lives forever. The film comprises of an ensemble multi-star cast of Karan Johar, Diljit Dosanjh, Sonakshi Sinha, Riteish Deshmukh, Boman Irani, Lara Dutta, Sushant Singh Rajput and Rana Daggubati.