Sukhwinder Singh calls AR Rahman his 'Godfriend'

For singer Sukhwinder Singh, AR Rahman is someone who changed the course of his musical journey. Recently, during an interview with Mashable India’s Bombay Journey, Sukhwinder opened up about his friendship with AR Rahman and the kind of energy he brings into the studio.

“When someone gives you a break in films or music, we call him the Godfather. I call Rahman my ‘godfriend", Sukhwinder said.

He also shared how Rahman’s late-night recording sessions often start at 3 AM and despite being the odd hours, he somehow delivers the best songs. “Suddenly, you feel as energetic as he while recording the song. Right in the middle of the night, he shines like the moon”, he added.

Sukhwinder also shared how he explains all the Punjabi jokes in Hindi to AR Rahman. “I was the one who started making Rahman laugh. He is an introverted person, and he gets joy from his work, but laughing in general is also important. Punjabi jokes are only funny in Punjabi, and trying to translate that to English for him was very difficult. There are some slang words that you can’t convert, so I developed a special language for him”.

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Rahman is also known for his quirky and colourful stage outfits, something that often surprises fans who know him as a low-key personality off-stage. Talking about it, Sukhwinder said, “He is very fond of clothes, and that too ones with all the strange colours. He will wear them for shows, and the reason why people don’t see him like that in general is because by the time he gets ready, it is 12 am in the night and everyone is sleeping”.

Over the years, Sukhwinder and AR Rahman have given us many hit tracks, starting from ‘Chaiyya Chaiyya’ and ‘Ramta Jogi’ to ‘Ghanan Ghanan’ and the Oscar-winning ‘Jai Ho’.


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