The Music of ‘Chhal’: Viju Shah’s Insights on an Underrated Crime Thriller

Viju Shah offers insights into his musical contribution to the crime thriller ‘Chhal’ and reflects on his long career. This film was an early collaboration with director Hansal Mehta. Shah mentions his first-time associations with producer Nitin Patil, lyricist Amitabh Varma, engineer Tanay Gajjar of Ava Studio, and singer K.K. The experience was a positive one. Though ‘Chhal’ wasn’t a musical, its music found a suitable place within the storyline. Shah recalls K.K.’s excitement about singing the title track. The movie featured vocals from Asha Bhosleji, Alka Yagnik, Sadhana Sargam, and Shaan, with Javed Ali contributing an alaap. Shah also fondly recalls working on the film’s background score. He notes that ‘Chhal’ marked the acting debuts of Kay Kay Menon and Prashant Narayan. Before recording ‘Dil Jhanjhanale Jaane Jaana’, Asha Bhosleji’s dedication was highlighted when she climbed four floors due to a lift issue to complete the dubbing.