Music composer Shankar Mahadevan has explained why singers often forget the lyrics of their own popular songs. He spoke about it while celebrating 25 years of ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ with Ehsaan Noorani, Loy Mendonsa, playback singer Shaan and Meiyang Chang.
Shankar Mahadevan’s explanation
In a special video for Spotify, Shaan wondered why he forgets the lyrics to his songs. Shankar Mahadevan had a ready answer. He said, “I will tell you why. Because you have already sung that song. The song has become popular. It has become a super hit. And you have already moved ahead. So that’s no longer a priority. That’s already done. If it’s a new song, a new melody, a new set of lyrics, you will be 100% focused. And you will see to it like, ‘I shouldn’t make a mistake.‘ Then there will be no mistakes there.”
Shaan’s funny story with Javed Akhtar
Shaan then shared an amusing incident from a recording session. He said, “I have a very funny story on this. During a session, I started making my own lyrics. And then I went to him Javed Akhtar sahab, very coy. And I asked him, ‘Is everything okay?’. He said, ‘You are writing it yourself’. So I didn’t understand what he meant. He said, ‘No, no, these are all your songs’. I said, ‘But these weren’t my lyrics’. He then said, ‘You made your own lines'”.
25 years of ‘Dil Chahta Hai’
The film recently completed 25 years since its release. It marked the directorial debut of Farhan Akhtar and became a defining film of modern Hindi cinema. It is especially remembered for its portrayal of urban friendship, romance and youthful independence.The Goa road trip in the film became a cultural touchstone, and many people have since tried to recreate the journey with their own friends.
Its lasting influence
The film’s visual style, casual fashion and conversational storytelling also shaped the way Bollywood showed contemporary urban India. Its soundtrack was just as influential, mixing rock, pop and Indian sounds.
