Kal Ho Naa Ho (song)


"Kal Ho Naa Ho" is a 2003 Hindi-language filmi song performed by Sonu Nigam for the 2003 Indian romantic drama film of the same name. The track was composed by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy, while lyrics were written by Javed Akhtar. In a pathos version, Nigam is joined by Alka Yagnik and Richa Sharma. Kal Ho Naa Ho was directed by Nikhil Advani and written by Karan Johar; the latter co-produced it with his father Yash Johar under the banner of Dharma Productions. The music video of "Kal Ho Naa Ho" features leads Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, and Preity Zinta; the former sings about life's unpredictability and wistfully watches the others romance.
Sonu Nigam was busy when the song was to be recorded. Instead of opting for some other singer, Karan Johar decided to wait for a month before Sonu came back and recorded the song for the movie
The song was featured in Outlook's list of Bollywood's Timeless Melodies, making it the only contemporary selection on the list. It quickly became popular upon release.

Music video

Aman imagines himself in Rohit's place, romancing Naina.

Production

The theme of the song was composed by Loy Mendonsa of the Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy trio and Shankar Mahadevan arranged the groove.
In a later interview in the documentary "Pancham unmixed", Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy revealed that the music of the segment "har pal yahaan" in the song was inspired by the music of R.D.Burman.

Reception and legacy

;Awards
The song was featured in Outlook magazine's 20 Best Hindi Film Songs Ever list. The jury was composed of celebrities such as Gulzar, Hariharan, Javed Akhtar, Kumar Sanu and Shantanu Moitra. Each jury member was asked to nominate 10 favorites and the songs the winners were ranked according to the number of votes each song got. "Kal Ho Naa Ho" was ranked at 19 making it the only contemporary selection in the list.
The track was featured in Hindustan Times's "Song of the Century" list, which described the song as "one of the most unforgettable tunes in recent times."