‘Managala Sangama’, Ram and Sita’s wedding song from the upcoming epic Ramayana, released a little over a week ago and has garnered the kindest praise for the man on the track – Armaan Malik.
Malik didn’t know what he was recording for until he was already in the studio. The request from AR Rahman’s team came on the day Malik was flying to London: a Kannada song, to be dubbed before the flight. It was during the recording that he learned that ’Managala Sangama’ was for Ramayana.
The song brings Ranbir Kapoor and Sai Pallavi on screen for the Nitesh Tiwari directorial, nearly a decade and a half after Malik first sang for the filmmaker on Chillar Party (2011). Speaking to THR India, Malik discussed the surprise call, the discipline of singing for Lord Ram with calm instead of volume, and the response that reminds him why he does this.
How did you come to sing for AR Rahman’s Ramayana?
I’ve done a couple of songs for him over the last couple of years; I’ve been associated with him across different projects. This one actually happened out of the blue!
I was literally on my way to London and the same day I got this request from his team to dub this song. I had no clue it was for Ramayana. They said there’s a Kannada song Rahman sir wants you to dub, and it was super last minute, but I was like, cool, no worries.
I love recording when he’s in the studio, but he usually records in Chennai and that was not physically possible, so we had to record it in Mumbai before my flight. I was glad that I had the Kannada dubbing and diction team along with me on a Zoom call to make sure that every word was sung authentically. They briefed me a little bit about the project; that’s when I got to know it was for Ramayana.
It happened very organically and spontaneously.
That sounds like it was quite hectic - did that pressure shift when you found out which project the song was for?
We’ve been under these pressure situations quite a bit as playback singers. A lot of the time there are last-minute deliveries that need to happen for a movie. There are times when we get called just a day before the release and we have to deliver within those two-three hours of studio time. So, I’m used to it.
I’m so glad that Rahman sir trusted me with the song. It’s obviously such a big project and I’m sure the kind of thought and detailing that goes into it is mammoth. He gave me my freedom to do whatever I felt like vocally on the track, and whatever I did stayed the way it was. I’m really happy about that.
Did knowing it was for Ramayana change the way you approached the recording?
The task was mainly for me to get into the role of Ranbir and the character of Lord Ram.
That was the thing running in my mind, given that it’s such an iconic figure in our culture. For me to do justice to it musically, vocally, make sure that there was a certain peace to the singing, that’s the biggest challenge, especially when it’s a song that has a lot of high notes. It’s very easy to start singing in a pitch that is very loud. For me to control that and sing it in a very peaceful, calm manner, because his demeanour was such, that was the one thing running in my head.
You’ve sung in Kannada often; how did this feel different?
To be very honest, I’ve always sung in Kannada with a lot of emotion, because I personally love singing in that language. It’s a beautiful language and I feel my voice sounds really nice in it. So I was very happy that I got to sing the Kannada track and it turned out beautiful.
Bela Shende has sung the female parts and our voices really complement each other. I’m so glad that it looks so good on screen, especially on Ranbir (Kapoor) and on Sai Pallavi. I think everything worked out beautifully. I wanted to somehow be a part of the project; I manifested it and I’m now a part of it.
It’s honestly one of the biggest projects we’ve had in recent times, not just for the Indian film industry but also globally, especially after the Los Angeles premiere they just did. I think everyone’s really excited to watch it on the big screen.
Fifteen years ago, as a teenager, you worked with Nitesh Tiwari for Chillar Party (which also featured Ranbir Kapoor in a song). This must've felt like a wholesome reunion.
So many years later, it just feels like a full-circle moment for me. I did that project when I was probably 14 or 15, and it was beautiful to be associated with Chillar Party then. Nitesh Tiwari is a genius director. I have always loved his work. And now for Ramayana, it just feels really special.
For Ranbir, I’ve never sung for him before. We’ve met multiple times, and he’s always been like, I hope that one day we could do something together. I’ve always wanted that as well. I’m glad that it’s for one of the biggest projects of his career. I’m so happy that we got to collaborate on this and hope to do many more for them.
Was there a moment from the past year, that made you stop and think, “This is why I do this”?
A lot of people commented on my Ramayana post that I put out on my socials, saying, “Armaan, I had goosebumps.” And honestly, I don’t know how that happens, because I’m just singing the song. I don’t know what effect it has on other people. But when I hear that and I see that, for me, that’s everything.
From what people have been writing on the song and the comments under YouTube and on Instagram, they’ve really loved my rendition. I’m glad I could get it right.
Have you watched the film yet?
No, I haven’t actually watched the movie. I guess they are doing different showcases across the world and also in India, but probably at some point I will catch it amidst all the craziness!