Saawariya (2007) was, inarguably, a special project for Shaan. The singer rendered the soulful ballad, Jab Se Tere Naina, for the film and it won him several awards. As the film turn 15 today, Shaan explains why the track is special to him.

“Jab Se Tere Naina not only won me many awards and accolades, but also a lot of praise from my fraternity. It added a new facet to my singing style. I am so fortunate that I was cast by Sanjay Leela Bhansali (filmmaker) and Monty Sharma (music director) for a song that was not typically my genre till then,” says the 50-year-old.

Explaining how the number was different from the kind of tracks he had worked on until then, Shaan shares, “The song had a strong traditional ethos in its melody and arrangements and yet had a youth appeal. I feel it’s a balance that’s very difficult to achieve, especially in romantic songs.”

While today’s songs are often criticized for having a short shelf life, Jab Se Tere Naina continues to be loved even now. Shaan explains, “Today, there aren’t many songs made with a similar sensibility as Jab Se Tere Naina. Also, the song was not a part of any trend then and it stands out even today because of its freshness and originality.”

The way the number was picturised also created quite a stir back then (the towel scene of debutant actor Ranbir Kapoor became the talk of the town). Speaking of its picturization, Shaan shares, “It was Ranbir’s first film and in a way a song that revealed him for the first time, pun intended (laughs). I feel the picturization helped in making the track more popular.”