Javed Akhtar says Pritam suggested he first crafts lyrics followed by melody for 'Dunki' song

Mumbai, Dec 2

Veteran screenwriter and lyricist Javed Akhtar, who is known for his work in ‘Sholay’, ‘Border’, ‘Zanjeer’, ‘Don’, ‘Lakshya’ and others, has crafted the lyrics for the song ‘Nikle The Kabhi Hum Ghar Se’ from the upcoming Shah Rukh Khan-starrer ‘Dunki’.

The veteran artiste shared that unlike many songs where the melody is created first and the lyricists are asked to write to the tune, he was requested by music composer Pritam to write the lyrics first for the tune that he would compose later in the creative process.

The makers of ‘Dunki’ released ‘Dunki Drop 3’ in the form of ‘Nikle The Kabhi Hum Ghar Se’ crooned beautifully by another veteran Sonu Nigam. The senior lyricist and Sonu have earlier collaborated on ‘Sandese Aate Hain’ from ‘Border’ which had similar elements in its structure of yearning and nostalgia.

Describing the creative process, Javed Akhtar said, "In this film, I have only one song and interestingly, Raju Hirani played a pivotal role in ensuring that we included this song, and he specifically requested me to write it. I hope you will enjoy the song, as it is unique due to its distinct situation”.

He further mentioned, “Typically, I write the lyrics after the tune is composed, but Pritam generously suggested that I write the song first, and he would compose the music accordingly, and he did a fantastic and brilliant job with it.”

‘Dunki’, helmed by superstar director Rajkumar Hirani, also stars Boman Irani, Taapsee Pannu, Vicky Kaushal, Vikram Kochhar, and Anil Grover.

A JIO Studios, Red Chillies Entertainment, and Rajkumar Hirani Films presentation, produced by Rajkumar Hirani and Gauri Khan, the film is written by Abhijat Joshi, Rajkumar Hirani, and Kanika Dhillon.

‘Dunki’ is set to arrive in cinemas on December 21, 2023.