The mind behind the music

Janhvi Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao in the film

A supervisor works with the composer, but doesn't compose. He is like a guide who makes the song better, because, at times, a director may be unable to comprehend how to exact the required sound for a project," says music supervisor Azeem Dayani as he attempts to highlight how his work differs from that of a composer on a film set. Dayani, who has put his might behind the Janhvi Kapoor and Rajkummar Rao-starrer Mr & Mrs Mahi, says that while creating a song, he pays heed to the fact that the number must have an identity that isn't attached to the film alone. "You want the song to live beyond the film. So, you need to identify how to strike the right balance when creating such a piece. That is where my skills come into play."

Azeem Dayani

Despite the influx of talent that makes its way into Bollywood from singing reality shows, Dayani believes there is "a lot of need for fresh talent". "For any industry to grow, new people need to enter it. In this film too, we worked with Mohammad Faiz, who is 17 years old. We took the risk of launching him."

Last week's release was described as a "romantic film about relationships, and how two people stand up for each other". "It had scope for great music. We started work on it in 2022, and made 60 songs. Of them, seven made it to the album. From then to now, our musical [sensibilities] also changed. That needed to be reflected in the [soundtrack]. We had to filter [the songs we desired] and identify the ones that were [worthy] of being in the album. Every track personally addresses [a character], because we were trying to build our world around these two individuals. I also wrote one number that stemmed from the transition that [I] went through. So, the album is personal in many ways."

An upcoming number, Tu hai toh, appears to hold a special place in his heart. "It's a love song, and has a different format. There are two singers who have [rendered] the number, and, when you hear it, you will realise that it is relatable. It's reminiscent of how individuals perform in live concerts. Although it deviates from the template, it was a risk that we were willing to take this year, because, it sounded appealing to us."Mr & Mrs Mahi has been directed by Sharan Sharma, who previously collaborated with Kapoor in the 2020 film, Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl.