Salman Khan decided to boycott Arijit in 2014. The ban remains.
What happened? The incident happened at an awards function in 2014. This was Arijit’s first awards function. Arijit wasn’t prepared to go for it because he was editing a song for his mentor Pritam-da (composer Pritam Chakraborty). But Mukesh Bhatt who was a jury member for that particular awards function insisted that he go for the function. And since the Bhatts’ Aashiqui 2 was actually the beginning of his career in Bollywood, Arijit couldn’t say not to them.
Arijit was working for Pritam in his casuals and had a flight to catch. So he went in casual chappals and clothes to the function. Arijit told me he didn’t realize a lot of people would feel he was insulting the function. “I was on my seat and very tired. So I dozed off. As you know these awards functions go on for hours. Meri aankh lag gayi. So when my name was announced for the award someone had to wake me up. I know it was wrong. But I was tired and I dozed off. While I was walking up to the stage they started capturing images in my chappals and casuals. On stage Salman Khan was laughing in disbelief saying, ‘Tu hai winner?’ When I got on stage he asked if I had fallen asleep. In my nervousness I blurted out, ‘Aap logon ne sula dia (you all put me to sleep).’ I immediately bit my tongue. I shouldn’t have done what I did. At that very moment when he handed me the award I whispered ‘Sorry’ into his ear. I couldn’t say more in that function. When I came down from the stage I couldn’t find my seat. So I just started walking away. Salman Sir saw that and commented, ‘Look at this guy. He has collected his award in chappals and now he’s walking away.’ I got really scared and didn’t know what to do. That night when I was in my flight I kept thinking about the incident and felt sorry about it. When I reached Kolkata I texted him. He texted me back saying I shouldn’t have gone so casually and I shouldn’t disrespect the awards. I was happy he rebuked me as a senior and that he had got the anger out of his system. I didn’t know he was still angry.”
When Arijit recorded a song for the Meet Brothers in Kick they called him up saying Bhai doesn’t want to keep the song. “I realized he was still angry and started apologizing again and asking to meet him to apologize personally etc. I told him not to be angry that I was just a newcomer. Then came Bajrangi Bhaijaan. It’s in the past. I don’t think either of us is thinking about it. However if you ask me if I still regret missing out on the song Jag ghoomiya in Sultan, the answer will always be yes. I shall always regret being replaced in that song. I know I had sung it well. There was no reason on earth to replace me in that song.”
As far as wanting Salman’s forgiveness goes Arijit in an earlier interview said, “It’s in the past. I don’t think either of us is thinking about it.However if you ask me if I still regret missing out on the song Jag ghoomiya in Sultan, the answer will always be yes. I shall always regret being replaced in that song.I know I had sung it well. There was no reason on earth to replace me in that song.When the composer Vishal Dadlani informed me that I was going to be replaced I requested Salmanji not to do so.It’s like expecting a father to forget the child he has lost just because he has other children. It doesn’t work that way. You have to be a singer to understand what it means to have a song you’ve sung taken away from you and given to another singer.”
This birthday the best gift Arijit could hope for is to be finally forgiven by Salman Khan.
