Lyricist Recalls His Most Challenging Writing Session: One Song An Hour

MUMBAI- Veteran lyricist Sameer Anjaan has revealed that writing the songs for the 2001 romantic drama ‘Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein’ was the toughest assignment of his career because he had to travel to South India and complete the film’s songs in a single day despite his packed schedule.

Speaking on the singing reality show ‘Indian Idol’, Sameer recalled that producer Vashu Bhagnani wanted him to work with composer Harris Jayaraj, who was based in South India and unwilling to travel to Mumbai.

“Honestly, ‘Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein’ was a very challenging film for me. I was doing a lot of films with Vashu Bhagnani at that time. Music director Harris Jayaraj was in the South and wasn’t ready to come to Mumbai. Vashu ji told me that since the film was being made with newcomers, I would have to come to the South. I said there was no question of that. I was so busy that even if I stepped out of Mumbai for an hour, I would miss out on several songs. Then I said, ‘Book me a ticket for Sunday morning, but on one condition—I will return the same night. We’ll complete as many songs as possible, otherwise I won’t be able to do it.'”

Recalling the marathon writing session, Sameer added, “There were about 10 songs in that film. From 10 in the morning till 8 at night, I completed all the songs and returned to Mumbai the same night. Looking back today, it feels like the effort on that album paid off because its music is still as loved today as it was 25 years ago.” (IANS)