Rani was asked to laugh the Aati Kya Khandala way wherever she went: Alka Yagnik

A song from Ghulam that has, inarguably, gained cult status is Aati Kya Khandala. Sung by singer Alka Yagnik and actor Aamir Khan, the track appeals to people across generations even today and Yagnik knows why. “Aati Kya Khandala was one of a kind. Such songs were not made those days. It was a sweet song, very cutely picturised. The fact that Aamir sang it also added to its popularity,” she says.

Something that’s remembered quite vividly about the song is actor Rani Mukerji’s laugh at the beginning of the song. “The laugh definitely stood out,” says Yagnik, adding, “Ghulam was among Rani’s earliest films and my laugh gelled very well with her face. In fact, she would always tell me that wherever she went, people would tell her, ‘Aap ek baar has ke dikha dijiye, jaise aap uss gaane mein hasi hain’. So she had to always clarify, ‘It was not me. It was Alka ji’s laugh’,” says the singer, who considers “Jaadu Hai Tera Hi Jaadu as my favourite track from the film”.

Yagnik admits that she was impressed with how Khan recorded Aati Kya Khandala: “I didn’t expect Aamir to sing so well. He was right in tune. Though we didn’t record the song together, the way our portions blended was amazing.”

Calling working with composers Jatin-Lalit “a great experience, thanks to the comfort I always felt with them”, Yagnik says the song Aakhon Se Tune Ye Kya Keh Diya is also close to her heart. “It’s a beautiful song. All the songs from Ghulam are loved by audiences when I sing them during my stage shows,” she ends.