In 2018, Nora Fatehi took a major step in her career with the song “Dilbar” from Satyameva Jayate, even though she received no payment for it. Her choice ultimately led to unprecedented success, as the song gathered over a billion views on YouTube. Nora Fatehi, however, prioritized her career growth and reputation over immediate earnings.
In a recent interview at an event, Nora Fatehi shared that she was nearly ready to leave India when “Dilbar” and another song, “Kamariya” from Stree, came her way. Despite financial challenges—she couldn’t even cover rent or meals—she viewed these songs as chances to prove her talent in the industry.
Nora disclosed that she chose to work on both songs for free. “When I met the creators of these two songs…which I never got paid for, by the way, I did them for free. And I did them for free because I said that it’s not the time for me to make money; right now is the time for me to prove myself and to make a name, and to work with credible people,” she explained. For Nora, this move was about establishing herself rather than financial gain.
Nora recalled that the blouse initially provided for “Dilbar” was too small. She firmly insisted on a change, emphasizing that the costume didn’t need to be overly revealing. “When they brought me the blouse, it was too tiny and I had to put my foot down. I said, ‘Guys, I cannot wear this. Don’t oversexualise me. I get it, it’s a sexy song, we are all inherently sexy, but we don’t have to be vulgar about it’,” she shared. The team ultimately respected her request, creating a new blouse before the shoot began.
That was a great decision.
