Quotes

A lyricist is a poet at heart. But he does not write to satisfy his own creative urges, and does not unnecessarily display his knowledge of language. As a lyricist in films, one has to write for every conceivable situation and for characters ranging from a tawaif to a child, a boatman to a pop star. I hate using heavy language - anything can be written with simplicity. In our country we demand funny qualifications of a poet. You must write in obscure language, attend mushairas, contribute to Urdu magazines and publish books in verse! But look at our folk songs - many of them have greater depth than all the shaayari and heavy kavitayen!

A song always exists hidden in a given situation. All that I have to do is take it out!

I mentally tape a situation and try and see the circumstances, mood and story before and after the song. You cannot write the same song, even for the same feelings, when the lovers are meeting clandestinely and when they are meeting openly.

I miss writing the sad song, which is extinct today. Probably the people are very happy. Or maybe there is so much sadness that they cannot bear to see it on screen too!

The lyrics of any song depend on the story, the theme and the situation for which it is created. A song can be written to match any mood, occasion or whatever age group the script demands. So whether it is a story of the 1960s, 1970s or today, it doesn't really make a difference.