Mumbai, Dec 21 (IANS): Filmmaker Subhash Ghai recently revealed that late composer Laxmikant recorded “Om Shanti Om” before Kishore Kumar.

During his appearance on the sets of “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa," Ghai shared a fascinating anecdote, revealing how Laxmikant had created his own rendition of the song before Kishore Kumar’s iconic version was recorded.

Subhash Ghai made this surprising revelation after he was moved by contestant Riya beautiful rendition of “Om Shaanti Om” song. Subhash Ghai said, “Riya’s performance was so good that I was bound to give a standing ovation and groove to her singing. It happens very less, because usually I am the one who makes people dance and sing; you did a very good job. I am very surprised because I am used to thinking that only a man can sing this song because of the way Kishore Da has sung it. The power it holds, no one else can do it.”

He added, “Today, I want to reveal one story behind the making of this song- we were unable to get Kishore da’s date for this song, so Laxmikant ji himself sang the song. He sang it very beautifully that everyone loved it. Everyone told him that his version of this song should be released, but I wanted, when this song comes on-screen, Kishore Da should be singing it. When we shot this song, it was initially recorded in Laxmikant ji’s voice. However, the very next day, I visited Kishore ji’s house and requested him to give me a date for the recording, as Laxmikant ji had sung the song beautifully. Kishore ji asked me to check with Laxmi ji if he was okay with him singing the song. When I conveyed this to Laxmikant ji, he graciously said that since I wanted Kishore ji to sing it, we would finalize and release his version. To this day, whenever I listen to the song, I am reminded of Laxmikant ji.”

“Sa Re Ga Ma Pa” airs every Saturday and Sunday on Zee TV.