Mehboob on A.R. Rahman, Rangeela, Ram Gopal Varma & the Art of Writing Lyrics | Cyrus Says

Welcome to Cyrus Says!

On this episode of Cyrus Says, legendary lyricist Mehboob joins Cyrus Broacha to look back at the stories behind some of the most memorable music of the ’90s and 2000s.Mehboob talks about how meeting Ram Gopal Varma changed his career, waiting two years before finally getting the call for Rangeela, and beginning a long creative partnership with A.R. Rahman. He shares what it was like writing through the night in Chennai, how Rahman reacts to words and phonetics, and why writing lyrics is very different from writing poetry.  

He also opens up about working with Sanjay Leela Bhansali, his early journey with Ismail Darbar, the struggles behind becoming a film lyricist, and why a Bollywood song needs to be understood by millions without losing its depth. Mehboob also talks about his friendship with Adnan Sami and their new song Ishq Tamasha, while sharing stories from decades of working with some of Indian cinema’s biggest filmmakers and composers.
 
 Listen to this full episode of Cyrus Says for Mehboob on A.R. Rahman, Rangeela, Ram Gopal Varma, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Adnan Sami, Bollywood music, songwriting and the stories behind iconic Hindi film songs. 

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.