Debarati Sen (BOMBAY TIMES; November 20, 2017)

Armaan Malik recently fulfilled his biggest dream of singing for AR Rahman. Mechanical Sundariye from 2.0, will also mark his first playback for Rajinikanth. That’s not all. The multi-lingual singer has many projects, including Baaghi 2, lined up for the coming year. In a chat with BT, Armaan talks about all this and more...

How was your experience of singing for A R Rahman? Also, tell us about the song...
Singing for Rahman sir is a dream come true for me. When I went to his Chennai studio to record the song, I had no idea it was for a track in 2.0, which would be picturised on Rajinikanth. It was like a double bonus. The song is unlike my usual romantic numbers — though a love song, it has a quirky, peppy, almost robotic ring to it.

Your song in Golmaal Again was also a tad different — the entire cast, including Tabu and Parineeti Chopra, was seen lip syncing to it on screen...
Yes, everyone felt that there should be multiple singers, including female artistes, but Rohit (Shetty, director) sir said, ‘I want only Armaan’s voice for this song’. It felt great to get such a reaction from a director like him.

Your reprised version of Tere Mere has garnered many hits online, too...
I believe that singers need to become the face of their voice as well. That’s the reason I did a reprised version of the song featuring me. I’m glad that it’s been loved by listeners.

You’ve already sung for stars across the country. Is there anyone you aspire to lend your voice to?
I sang for Salman (Khan) bhai right at the beginning of my career — there couldn’t be a bigger beginning than that. I have also lent my voice to senior stars like Anil Kapoor (Mubarakan) and Rajnikanth. Now, I’m eagerly waiting for an opportunity to sing for Shah Rukh Khan because there’s no one who depicts romance better than him. And since I am also known for my romantic songs, I am sure that the combo will be really nice.