Darr ke aage geet hai

Subodh Gupta. Pic/By Special Arrangement

For many listeners, the latest song, Ab Main Kya Karun, by Mumbai-based alternative rock and Hindi pop band Last Minute India feels deeply personal. Possibly because its genesis lies in a truly emotional moment. Subodh Gupta, the band's frontman, wrote the song during one of the toughest phases of his life - shortly after his mother was diagnosed with cancer.

"Her cancer diagnosis was a shock to us. The doctors told us that treatment had to begin within a week," said Gupta, recalling the 2025 episode.

Even though he appeared calm to those around him, internally he was consumed by fear. "Everyone looks at you like you're a composed person [on the outside]. But in your brain, a lot of things are happening. It's [thinking] the worst possibilities," he shared.

His fear of losing a loved one found an outlet on paper. Songwriting became a coping mechanism for him. Gupta reflected, "Songwriting is something I do to express my feelings. If you go through all my songs, you will realise they are stories about situations I've been through."

Ab Main Kya Karun has registered over 4,00,000 streams since its release. This has reinforced Gupta's belief that listeners are increasingly drawn towards emotional honesty in music. "We have received more than a thousand comments on reels and YouTube. People connect to real stories because a lot of them go through the same thing every day," he said, adding that music works wonders for mental health. "There were songs I used to listen just to get out of bed, to feel alive. Music can help people heal."

April 2
When ‘Ab Main Kya Karun' released