“Sent 6.3 ft cake in tempo”: Kumar and Ramesh Taurani recall how Tips Music won over Subhash Ghai after Saudagar rejection
Komal Nahta is back with a fresh season of his podcast Game Changers: The Music Series. This edition shines a spotlight on celebrated singers, composers, and music maestros as they share their creative journeys, inspirations, and the untold stories behind the music that has shaped generations. The latest episode featured Kumar and Ramesh Taurani.
Recalling how their journey with legendary filmmaker Subhash Ghai began with the music rights to the 1991 blockbuster Saudagar, Ramesh shared, “Subhash ji’s film Saudagar’s music wasn’t sold yet, but he told me that he had committed to HMV. I asked him to give the music to us, so he asked me to come next time. He gave the music to them. When the Saudagar cassette was released, we sent Subhash ji a 6-foot-3-inch cake, which said, ‘Saudagar, Saudagar, TIPS ke saath sauda kar.'”
The gesture left an indelible mark on the veteran filmmaker, as Ramesh added, “He (Subhash Ghai) went to his house, he was so happy, and he called all the distributors to his house at night. He praised me in front of them, saying that this man doesn’t have my music or anything, but still sent such a beautiful letter to me with a cake.”
The move won over Ghai for his next film, Khal Nayak. On the negotiations and managing pricing internally with brother Kumar Taurani, Ramesh recalled: “Then, I went to him for Khal Nayak. Subhash ji told me that all the distributors had asked him to take Nadeem-Shravan instead of Laxmikant-Pyarelal for the film. Subhash ji called Nadeem, but he kept negotiating on the price. Subhash ji got angry that he was not talking about music but only money. He eventually went to Laxmikant ji and said that he’s ready to pay double the amount. He signed him on by paying a token amount of Rs 5 lakh.”
Ramesh Taurani recalled, “Finally, Laxmi ji said that I will not take less than Rs 1 crore. I asked him to take Rs 70, 80 lakhs. Kumar had said that we won’t pay more than Rs 75 lakhs. I gave him a nod for Rs 1 crore. When I came back, I told Kumar that the deal was done in Rs 81 lakhs. He complained why I paid Rs 6 lakhs over and above the decided amount. As soon as I left Subhash ji’s office, the news was everywhere in the media, ‘Khalnayak’s music has been sold at Rs 1 crore.’ I told Kumar that it is false news. ‘Choli Ke Peeche’ was a hit from day 1. It was a hyped song for parties. I told Kumar to give him 10 lakhs more because the song was bought for 90. After a few days, Khal Nayak became superhit and I talked about giving 10 more lakhs. Kumar got fed up and asked ‘Aakhir tu kitna dega isko?’ I said this is final.”
Also Read: Subhash Ghai brings Aamir Khan, Hema Malini, Rana Daggubati and Imtiaz Ali together for Celebrate Cinema Festival 2026
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