Salim Merchant Claims Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ Singing Career Began in Their Studio

Priyanka Chopra Jonas. (photo via IANS)

By R.M. VIJAYAKAR/Special to India-West

MUMBAI — We discovered this nugget while browsing. In the “Bombay Times” edition of July 17, we found a report in which Salim Merchant, of the music duo Salim-Sulaiman, claimed that Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ professional and international music career began thanks to them.

“Not many people know that before she became a bonafide popstar, Priyanka Chopra Jonas had sung a song for her film “Pyaar Impossible!” (2010). Unfortunately the track that she had crooned for music composers Salim and Sulaiman Merchant never saw the light of the day,” the feature begins.

In the story, Salim says, “It all began when we were making the music for “Pyaar Impossible!” Jonas’ character in the film was called Alisha and we had a song by that name. I told the director, Jugal Hansraj, that Priyanka sings, so let’s get her to sing this song. When we told her that we wanted her to sing for the film, she was sweet and recorded it. However, she wasn’t comfortable with the recording and told me that it would be nice if we could get another singer for it. I couldn’t understand why she felt like that because she had sung pretty well.” Anushka Manchanda later dubbed the song.

Chopra apparently told Salim later, “I am cut out to do something bigger, like an international album. I don’t want to feature as a singer in a Bollywood film.” A few months later, Salim claims they he got a call from an international music label as their team was in town and wanted to meet the duo as they had earlier done a Lady Gaga remix for them.

On being told that they were looking for an Indian singer, who can make the cut internationally, he messaged Chopra, whom the team had already shortlisted. He adds that the star practiced a popular English song at their studio and also sang before them. He therefore claims that a different phase in her career began from there and “the basic foundation of it all was set right here in my studio in Mumbai.”

For the record, Chopra has reportedly sung a word or two in “Bluffmaster!” before that and later in “Mary Kom” and “Dil Dhadakne Do.”