Singer Benny Dayal reveals how he landed the 'Befikre' title track, and key advice he got from AR Rahman on staying 'unique'
Benny Dayal
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Singer Benny Dayal's dwindling discography of Bollywood tracks in 2016 is in stark contrast to his meaty compilation of the last few years. Yet, his second Hindi number this year is already climbing the charts for aptly portraying the freedom demanded by the song. Ude dil befikre, the title track of Aditya Chopra's Ranveer Singh and Vaani Kapoor-starrer composed by Vishal-Shekhar, has Benny humming an Arabic verse in it.
"I was offered the song because Vishal and Shekhar realised I could sing in Arabic. It seems like a simple track but was hard to deliver," says the singer, adding, "I used to participate in inter-school Arabic singing competition. That's also how I met Mr Rahman (AR Rahman). He told me, 'You can sing in Arabic. Don't ever let this quality fade away. This makes you unique'."
Vaani Kapoor and Ranveer Singh in Ude dil befikre
Ranveer, on whom the track is picturised, performed it at the Global Citizen Festival India last month. "I met him before he went on stage. He gave me a hug before that," says Benny. The singer was delighted to share the stage with Jay Z and Coldplay at the event, and confesses that it was a fanboy moment. "I didn't get the opportunity to interact with them because of the high security, but just seeing Jay Z perform live made my day. I was really excited," he says with child-like joy.
The singer has been selective with his choice of songs because he wishes to green-light projects that are "experimental". "I want to have diverse songs in my repertoire. I'd rather do great work than worry about delivering hits. "I have learnt this from Mr Rahman and Salim Merchant."
Asked if any other creative art, besides music, interests him, Benny says he enjoys whipping up delicacies in the kitchen. "My wife and I often spend time cooking together [he tied the knot with longtime girlfriend Catherine Thangam in June]. I really enjoy making Indian food, especially chicken curry. Recently, my maid went on leave for a month. So, my wife and I had a great time trying our hand at different cuisines."
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