Five years after he met him at a Chennai studio — an interaction that eventually extended into collaborations for films like Tamasha and Mohenjo Daro — Shashwat Singh finds himself being the voice of the protagonist in AR Rahman's coveted production, 99 Songs. "I was speaking to the director [Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy] recently, and he told me that Ehan Bhat, who plays the lead in the film, was cast after my voice was given to him. It was around my voice that they developed the storyline, and then auditioned for the role accordingly. I feel privileged," says Singh, who had been working with Rahman to breathe life into this project since its onset in 2017.

"He says when you sing, [your voice] should heal the listener. That was the biggest pointer. I've seen him do everything from scratch; all on his own. He will first sit by himself, make the structure of the song, its melody, and lines. He is particular about [including] the kind of inflections he desires."