Poetry is something that composer Ankur Tewari enjoys, and it reflects in his work, and occasionally, in his conversations. Coming off the back of a highly productive year that has seen him co-found a music label with directors Zoya Akhtar and Reema Kagti, overseeing music for The Archies and Coke Studio Bharat’s opening season, as well as working on multiple other scores, it is easy to question where he finds the headspace for it.

“I just came back from a 20-day vacation in Mexico,” he casually admits. It is a necessary break from proceedings that continue at breakneck speed. “Mumbai makes me anxious when I am not working. If you are in motion, the city does not bother you, but when you stand still, it can be unnerving,” he explains.