Singer-rapper Baba Sehgal , who once worked with Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman on the Hindi version of Roja’s iconic track Rukmani Rukmani, has now revealed that he didn’t like the lyrics of the song at all. The 1992 track, composed by Rahman for Mani Ratnam’s acclaimed film, has long been considered a cult favourite. However, for Baba Sehgal, the experience left much to be desired.

In a recent interview with Siddharth Kannan, the singer opened up about how the collaboration came to be and why it ultimately became his only project with Rahman. Recalling a performance in Chennai, he said, “An assistant director approached me and played the Tamil version of the song. I didn’t understand much but just said yes.”

He shared that Rahman and his team later visited him at his hotel, asking him to help with the Hindi release. “I connected them with some friends who asked me to sing the Hindi version. But when I saw the lyrics, I thought, ‘Kitne vahiyat lyrics hai yaar. Kisne likha hai ye?’ (These lyrics are terrible. Who wrote this?)”

Explaining further, Baba said, “When you hear something in another language, it sounds fine. But in your own language, you understand the meaning, and these sounded really cheap to me. I don’t think Rahman or Ratnam even realised how the Hindi lyrics came across.”

He went on to describe the experience as “forced,” revealing that language was a major barrier. “A lady was called in to sing the female vocals, but later I suggested Swetha Shetty, and she nailed it. But that was the first and last time I worked with Rahman. We never met again,” he added.

About Baba Sehgal

Often credited with pioneering Indian rap, Baba Sehgal rose to fame in the early ’90s with Thanda Thanda Pani. An electrical engineer by education, he gained mass popularity during the MTV era and later expanded into acting and content creation.