Aa Bhi Ja Tu Kahin Se – Sonu Nigam’s Song of Love, Loss and Longing

Year of Release: 2015

Lyricist: Manoj Muntashir  

Composer: Jeet Ganguly

‘Aa Bhi Ja Tu Kahin Se’ is a single, envisioned by Bhushan Kumar. This heartwarming romantic number, which is more like a short film, is about a man whose fiancée is in a coma. He misses her so much that his aching heart creates a lively young girl in her likeness. The “living apparition” of the fiancée adds a layer of poetic surrealism to the video – a psychological portrayal of grief, where memory and longing manifest so powerfully that the heart imagines her presence into being.

The video intentionally blurs the line between past and present, memory and imagination – a seamless blend that gives 'Aa Bhi Ja Tu Kahin Se' its bittersweet magic. You never quite know when memory ends and longing begins.

Shah Rukh Khan’s tweet sums it up perfectly – “My friend @anubhavsinha new video. And @sonunigam in top form. Sad but beautiful like love & life is…”

This single sees the trio – Sonu Nigam, Anubhav Sinha and Bhushan Kumar – coming together again after a long gap of fourteen years. The song is reminiscent of albums like Kismat, Deewana, Jaan and Yaad, which the three of them have done together. By 2015, the music landscape has changed significantly – the era of full-fledged albums has given way to standalone singles and music videos, as digital and streaming platforms become the primary way audiences discover new music.

The lyrics of the song, written by Manoj Muntashir, are exquisite, and some lines like gir gayin haath se jaise laqeerein are, as Sonu too says, pathbreaking.

Equally breathtaking are the locations where the video is shot. When you watch it – you notice the backwaters, the beaches and the pine valley of Kerala, which is a two-hour drive up the hills – you understand why it is called God’s own country. This beautiful mix of terrains is not only a stunning backdrop; it gives the song its visual depth and serenity, mirroring its emotional undercurrent – evoking distance, isolation, and the ebb and flow of hope and despair.

“We shot for three days last month on an exotic island in Kerala,” says Anubhav Sinha. “I had earlier directed Sonu in several music videos including 'Tu Kab Yeh Janegi' and 'Deewana.' He has done such a fantastic job that I have strongly urged him to take up more acting offers.”

Amyra Dastur, the female lead in the video and Sonu Nigam – both recall that in the last scene, they were dancing on a boat with very little space – a tricky shot that made Sonu worry about them falling overboard. Sonu also remembers this video for a rather modern first: it introduced him to drone filming. One of the drones, he laughs, actually fell into the water during the shoot!

Before going to Kerala however, Amyra goes to Andheri for three days in a row, spending two hours each day learning to play the cello from a professional cellist – as preparation to lend authenticity to her character. In the video, the cello becomes a symbol of imagined connection – his mind’s way of keeping their love alive, even as she lies motionless in the real world.

“Amyra is a beautiful girl and she’s a typical today’s kid,” says Sonu. “She’s obviously very talented because there was a shot where she cried without the usage of glycerine. For me that’s a big feat... She had real tears. I found that to be cool. And she’s a good girl too. Obviously everyone is praising her. For me it was a task to look at least half as presentable as she is, because she’s so beautiful.”

And what does Amyra think about Sonu? “I have been one of his fans since I can remember, honestly... He’s a really really kind person. He never intruded. He was always on time. He never had any complaints, any hassles. He did his job so professionally... Sonu is just fantastic. He did every single thing Anubhav told him to do. He never questioned him.”

Keep smiling friends. Life is beautiful. Cherish each moment. 

Har pal yahaan, jee bhar jiyo...

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