Javed Akhtar Reveals Having Doubts About AR Rahman Composing THIS Song: 'Hindi Isn't His First...'

Lyricist and writer Javed Akhtar and renowned music composer AR Rahman have created magic together on numerous projects, with their work on filmmaker Deepa Mehta’s acclaimed film ‘1947 Earth’ standing out as particularly remarkable. Recently, Javed shared some insights into his collaboration with Rahman, especially highlighting his initial reservations about Rahman composing the song ‘Ishwar Allah’ given that Hindi wasn’t Rahman’s first language.

In a conversation with O2india, Akhtar shed light on their typical collaborative process wherein Rahman would usually craft a tune first, and Akhtar would then pen the lyrics. However, the creation of ‘Ishwar Allah’ saw a departure from their norm; Rahman asked Akhtar to write the lyrics first, which he would then use as a basis to compose the melody. Despite Rahman’s assurance in this method, Akhtar admitted he felt some initial uncertainty due to Rahman’s limited familiarity with Hindi.

Javed Akhtar recalled, “This is one of the few songs that I have written and AR Rahman has composed. It was the first time when he told me to write it first and then he will compose it. I was a bit apprehensive because Hindi isn’t his first language. How will he compose? I still went ahead and wrote the song and I don’t think this song can be composed in a better way. His composition was unparalleled.”

Akhtar also commended Rahman for his masterful restraint in the song’s composition, remarking that “only masters” have the confidence to keep the music understated. He observed that insecure artists often overcompensate due to a lack of confidence, whereas true masters know precisely when to hold back.

Directed by Deepa Mehta, ‘1947 Earth’ is an adaptation of Bapsi Sidhwa’s novel ‘Cracking India,’ set against the backdrop of the 1947 partition. It is the second film in Mehta’s celebrated Elements trilogy, following Fire(1996) and preceding Water(2005). Notably, ‘1947 Earth’ was also India’s official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 1999 Academy Awards.