Lyricist Mehboob says he never understood the need to remix old songs: 'Has our creativity finished?'

Lyricist Mehboob has been writing popular songs in Hindi films for over three decades now. From chartbusters in Rangeela to soulful melodies in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and even AR Rahman’s iconic Maa Tujhe Salaam, he has given a diverse range of songs. The songwriter is now back with a new independent song Naina Chhalke, sung by Kunal Ganjawala. In a candid chat with DNA, the lyricist talks about the song, the changes in music scene and more.

Mehboob’s new song Naina Chhalke resorts to old-school lyrics and melody in the age of remixes and techno beats. “The idea behind this song was to base it on melody and lyrics. I wanted the use of musical instruments be limited to Indian only because I wanted it to have that old school melody that people have loved,” shares the lyricist.

When asked about the need to have Indian instruments in the song, Mehboob argues, “You should always listen to music from around the world because you should experience everything. You should know of other cultures. But you can’t forget your roots. Western films normally don’t have 6-7 songs. Our films do because music is our cultural treasure. It defines our film and hence, we should retain our identity musically.”

Mehboob is not against the use of new age lingo in music as he says it only adds to the diversity of Indian music. But he does feel that often writers are hesitant to add depth to song lyrics. “Sometimes lyricists have limitations too, requirements of the project and commercial needs. There is a little misconception too that some writers have that masses may not connect to the song if the words are too typically Urdu or Hindi,” he says.

Many of Mehboob’s songs have seen newer versions as remixes or reprisals and the lyricists is not a fan of the trend. “I remember when Hamma Hamma, one of my songs, was remade, a teenager told me that he liked the old version more. He asked me something that I had been wondering too. What was the need for this? And even if there was, why did they have to add the rap to it? It did not improve the song. So I ask often that why do we make remixes. Has our creativity finished? Have we stopped thinking? Are we not scratching our heads and working hard,” says the lyricist.