Nine years ago, Nikhita Gandhi made a stunning entry into Hindi film music with the title track of Raabta (2017), and since then, she hasn’t looked back. She got a big break from none other than the Oscar-winning composer, A R Rahman, with I (2025). The maestro has the chance to get every major singer in the country to sing for him and yet, he always believes in giving new singers a break whenever possible. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Nikhita opened up on this aspect.
Nikhita Gandhi said, “There’s a lot of power at play when it comes to selecting a voice. For example, Arijit Singh is a fabulous singer, but he’s also the most sought-after singer. There are other fabulous singers, too, but signing him becomes a no-brainer because of his brand value. But with Rahman sir, he doesn’t care about the brand value. He just cares about how you sound on the song (smiles). That’s his number one priority, not who’s trending right now or whose numbers are high. Right now, many in the industry look at statistics to ensure that the song or a film does well. That’s how a lot of people get cast in music or even in videos. Someone with high engagement is more likely to come on board. So, we are basically casting someone who’s also doing marketing (laughs). It’s a tough process to navigate for a lot of people. They may not be good at the social media game, but they are really great artists.”
There are times when songs get a different meaning once viewers see them in the film. A classic instance is ‘Mujhe Chaand Pe Le Chalo’ from Sanju (2018), which is sung by Nikhita Gandhi and incidentally, composed by A R Rahman. It features a memorable moment between Ranbir Kapoor and Karishma Tanna.
Nikhita Gandhi laughed when we brought this up and said, “Absolutely and more so if it’s a contextual song. If it’s a party song or love track, you pretty much know what you’re listening to. ‘Mujhe Chaand Pe Le Chalo’ is a great example of a contextual song. It’s supposed to sound like an old, retro track, but when you see the song, you don’t just understand the period-ness in the song. You also understand that it’s nostalgic for a reason and at the same time, it is raunchy and has a lot of sexual connotations. It fits so beautifully with the picturization. That’s also quintessentially A R Rahman. A lot of his music makes a lot of sense when you see the visuals in the film.”
Not just Ranbir Kapoor, Nikhita Gandhi has sung for films featuring various other stars as well. Shah Rukh Khan is a case in point; she crooned ‘Ghar’ from Jab Harry Met Sejal (2017). Did she ever get a chance to meet SRK?
Nikhita replied, “No, I never met him. He was not there at the premiere either. We don’t end up interacting with the cast unless it’s a very cast-interactive film. When I worked on Bandish Bandits, I hung out with the cast a lot as it was all about music. In fact, the lead actress, Shreya Chaudhry, randomly recognized me in a café long before we met formally through the project. She was studying me to play the role and was watching my performances. Though she recognized me, I did not know who she was (laughs). So that happens, but only in a music-centric project.”
Future plans
When asked what we can expect from her in the near future, Nikhita Gandhi revealed, “I have written a lot of music and I think in the next couple of months, you’ll get to see my non-film stuff. I am really excited about it. There’s a lot of music that I have written in the past, but I have never really focused on my pop career. I concentrated more on my playback and my shows. Hence, I am really excited to open a new chapter.”
As per her IMDb profile, she has sung a song in Golmaal 5. When pointed out, Nikhita Gandhi was amazed and added, “Really? I also don’t know (laughs). You know, I have sung a lot of songs. And most of the time, I don’t know which film it is for. Like, I was confused whether ‘Tu Hi Disda’ was a part of Bhooth Bangla or Cocktail 2! This is because both songs were being promoted around the same time. Also, Dada (Pritam Chakraborty) is working on both films. Hence, I got confused (laughs). I don’t even ask. I live in my own world under a rock (laughs).”
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