How Sukhwinder Singh went to record a different song and came out with ‘Beedi Jalaile’

One of Bollywood’s most iconic folk-flavoured numbers almost had a very different voice behind it. Singer Sukhwinder Singh, known for delivering some of Hindi cinema’s most powerful tracks, recently revealed that he was not supposed to be part of ‘Beedi Jalaile’ from Vishal Bhardwaj’s 2006 film ‘Omkara’ at all.

The revelation came during the latest episode of the singing reality show ‘Indian Idol’, currently airing on Sony Entertainment Television.

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Why Sukhwinder was in the studio that day

Sukhwinder Singh had gone to the recording studio for an entirely different song from the same film. He was there to record the track ‘Dham dham dharam dharaiya re, sab se bade ladaiya re, omkara hey omkara’. ‘Beedi Jalaile’ was not on his schedule.

At that point, the song was already being recorded without him. His presence in the studio that day was purely for the other number.

Gulzar’s suggestion changed everything

What happened next changed the song’s entire shape. Lyricist Gulzar, who was present during the recording, turned to composer Vishal Bhardwaj and made a casual suggestion. He asked Bhardwaj to give Sukhwinder just one line in the song.

Sukhwinder recalled the moment on the show, sharing what Gulzar said: that one line would be enough. The line was ‘Naa ghilaaf, Naa lihaaf, Thandi hawa bhi khilaf Sasuri.’

That single line was a gentle, almost conversational interjection. Nothing grand. But the creative energy it created in the room was something else.

From one line to the full song

Once Sukhwinder delivered that first line, another came up: ‘Itni sardi hai kisi ka lihaaf lei lay, Jaa padosi ke chulhe se aag lei lay.’ The interplay between his voice and Sunidhi Chauhan’s was clicking. The chemistry was right there in the room.

Bhardwaj heard it and made a quick call. His instruction was simple. He told Sukhwinder to go ahead and sing the entire song.

And that is how ‘Beedi Jalaile’ went from a solo track to one of the most celebrated duets in Bollywood.

About the song and the film

‘Beedi Jalaile’ from ‘Omkara’ released in 2006. The film was directorial of Vishal Bhardwaj and was a contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare’s Othello, set against a rural Uttar Pradesh backdrop. The song’s lyrics were written by Gulzar and the music was composed by Bhardwaj. The final recording featured Sunidhi Chauhan, Sukhwinder Singh, Nachiketa Chakraborty, and Clinton Cerejo.

The track picturised Bipasha Basu, Saif Ali Khan, and Vivek Oberoi, with choreography by Ganesh Acharya.