‘Javedsaab wrote the lyrics of Har Ghadi four months after we had recorded the music’

Karan had told me that since we were making a love story, he hoped I would get a song as good as Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.

Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy recorded the title track of Kal Ho Naa Ho in Pune, in 20 minutes flat.

Afterwards, Javed (Akhtar)saab came in and told us, ‘I don’t think you guys realise what you have done.’

He took four months to write the lyrics, narrating them to me when I was returning from New York, at JFK airport.

Earlier, I had dashed down from Pune with the music track, going directly to meet Karan.

He heard it and said, ‘You have a song better than Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.’

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham and Kal Ho Naa Ho made Dharma the number one production company in Hindi cinema, along with Yash Raj Films.

I was with Karan till 2004, after which we went our own ways.