Upala KBR (DNA; August 27, 2014)

Most people know it was Salman Khan who had convinced a chubby Arjun Kapoor to lose weight and become an actor at a time when the latter had wanted to turn director. But no one knows that Arjun has, with the blessings of his uncle (producer Sanjay Kapoor) sung a tribute to Salman in Tevar. In the song he says he’s not just a Salman fan but has his attitude, too!

Sanjay and his brothers, Anil and Boney, are extremely close to Salman and his family. Says a source, “In Tevar, Arjun plays Pintoo, a typical Agra guy, who is also a big fan of Salman Khan. They needed a situational song to capture the essence of Agra and introduce Arjun as Pintoo. Sanjay felt that as it was because of Salman that he became an actor, that a song about him would be perfect. Also Arjun is a big fan of the star, the song would be a way for him to pay homage to Khan and through the film, thank him for helping him carve his career. The song’s lyrics too are in Salman style. It begins as... Main toh Superman Salman ka fan, jo leve mujhse panga, kar doon main uska band.'

Sanjay confirms that Arjun has sung the song in the film. "It's the song which introduces Pintoo, who is from Agra, and leads to building-up of his character which is carefree, bindaas, tough and yet very lovable, much like Salman. The song also establishes the relationship of Pintoo with the friends. The song, situation, the essence of Agra and Arjun fits in with the lyrics along with a touch of Arjun's love for Salman in the film and in real life as well."

Trying times
Sanjay adds that song was shot under very challenging circumstances. "We have shot the song against the backdrop of the Taj Mahal in Agra and in Tajgung. It was an extremely difficult shoot as the gullies were so small that I would sit almost in the gutter space to look at the monitor. Sometimes there was no place but the jimmy jib camera and the cinematographer to enter besides the stars. There was no place to sit down. Once we were shooting under a bridge and to get permissions I went inside the police station nearby. The next day, there were headlines in some of the regional press that I had been arrested!" (laughs)