🎬 Song Name: Channa Mereya
🎞️ Movie: Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016)
🎤 Singer: Arijit Singh
✍️ Lyrics: Amitabh Bhattacharya
🎼 Music: Pritam
🎥 Starring: Ranbir Kapoor, Anushka Sharma, Aishwarya Rai
🎧 Label: Sony Music India
The Untold Journey of Channa Mereya
1. Created for a Different Film
The emotional melody of Channa Mereya was originally composed by Pritam for the Salman Khan-starrer Bajrangi Bhaijaan. However, the track didn’t make the final cut. Later, when the music reached Karan Johar, he felt it perfectly fit the soul of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.
2. Karan Johar’s Instant Approval
Once Pritam played the song, Karan Johar instantly approved it for Ae Dil Hai Mushkil. He knew this would be the film’s heart.
3. Singing Role Switched Last Minute
The first singer to record Channa Mereya was Shahid Mallya, but he was later replaced by Arijit Singh just before release. This change gave the song the haunting depth and soul it is now remembered for.
4. Picturisation: A Heavy Heart… and Lehenga!
On screen, Anushka Sharma wore a bridal lehenga weighing nearly 20 kilograms. The palace where the song was shot had no elevator, so she had to climb dozens of stairs multiple times a day for four long days of shooting. Despite the struggle, the performance turned out beautifully.
5. The Anthem of Unrequited Love
Channa Mereya beautifully captures the pain of one-sided love. The lyrics reflect unspoken sorrow and the bittersweet beauty of loving someone who doesn’t love you back. It shows the silent power of love that remains undivided — held completely by the lover.
Why This Origin Story Stands Out
- The song was rejected in one film but became the soul of another.
- A last-minute singer change turned it into a masterpiece.
- The visuals and emotional depth made it a symbol of heartbreak in Bollywood.
Channa Mereya is not just a song — it is destiny, emotion, and devotion to love, all wrapped in music.
Channa Mereya Lyrics English Meaning Define
🎵 Accha chalta hoon
Alright then, I’ll take your leave now
🎵 Duaaon mein yaad rakhna
Remember me in your prayers
🎵 Mere zikr ka zubaan pe swaad rakhna
Keep the sweetness of my name on your lips
(×2)
🎵 Dil ke sandookon mein
In the treasure chests of your heart
🎵 Mere acche kaam rakhna
Preserve my good deeds
🎵 Chitthi taaron mein bhi
Even in letters and telegrams
🎵 Mera tu salaam rakhna
Keep my salutations
🎵 Andhera tera maine le liya
I took away your darkness
🎵 Mera ujla sitaara tere naam kiya
And gifted you my bright star
🌙 Channa mereya mereya
O moonlight of mine…
🌙 Channa mereya mereya
O my moonlight…
🌙 Channa mereya mereya Beliya
O beloved moonlight…
🌙 O piya…
Oh my love…
(×2)
🎵 Mehfil mein teri
In your gathering
🎵 Hum naa rahe jo
If I’m not around
🎵 Gham toh nahi hai
It’s no sorrow…
🎵 Gham toh nahi hai
Really, it’s not sorrow…
🎵 Qisse humaare nazdeeqiyon ke
Our stories of closeness
🎵 Kam toh nahi hai
Are not too few
🎵 Kam toh nahi hai
Certainly not few
🎵 Kitni dafaa, subah ko meri
So many times, my mornings
🎵 Tere aangan me baithe
Were spent sitting in your courtyard
🎵 Maine shaam kiya
And I turned them into evenings
🌙 Channa mereya mereya… (repeat)
🎵 Tere rukh se apna raasta
I turned away from your path
🎵 Mod ke chalaa
And walked my own way
🎵 Chandan hoon main
I am sandalwood
🎵 Apni khushboo chhod ke chala
Leaving behind my fragrance, I walked away
🎵 Mann ki maaya rakh ke
Leaving the illusions of my heart
🎵 Tere takiye tale
Under your pillow
🎵 Bairagi, bairagi ka sooti chaula
Like a monk, wrapped in his simple cotton robe
🎵 Odh ke chalaa
I draped it and walked away
🌙 Channa mereya mereya… (repeat)