Mohabbat Ki Zabaan Hai Khamoshi composer recalls how Javed Akhtar wrote its lyrics in 20 minutes

Mannan Shaah. Pics/By Special Arrangement, Youtube

Mannan Shaah knew that whenever he would venture into independent music, it would be a combination of traditional sound and contemporary storytelling. Mohabbat Ki Zabaan Hai Khamoshi, his first non-film single, has shaped up exactly how the composer-singer had imagined it.

"I always thought that if I ever got an opportunity to get into the independent music space, I would compose a fully desi track with a strong influence of raga, roots in Indian music, be it semi-classical, folk, purely Hindustani classical, or even Carnatic music. Mohabbat Ki Zabaan Hai Khamoshi represents our cultural roots and belongs to our soil," he told mid-day.

Javed Akhtar with Mannan Shaah

Accompanying him on this project is his long-standing collaborator and one of Indian cinema's most revered lyricists, Javed Akhtar. Shaah revealed that it was in fact Akhtar, who made the song happen. "Our singer Anuradha Juju reached out to Javed saab to collaborate on a song and Javed saab was sweet to recommend our names to each other."

The hallmark of Akhtar and Shaah's collaboration, according to the musician, is the creative freedom they experience with each other. That makes the process enjoyable and easier. It shows in Mohabbat Ki Zabaan Hai Khamoshi, the lyrics of which came to Akhtar in less than half an hour.

'Namaste England' (2018)

Shaah recalled, "I had composed the song in about four-five minutes. When I sang it, Javed saab instantly took out his paper and pen, and wrote the lyrics in about 15 to 20 minutes. The thought he cracked was so pure that I insisted he not change even a single word. That's how instinctive we are when we work together."