The past few weeks have been special for Irshad Kamil. The lyricist not only relished Saiyaara’s success, but also won the Screenwriters Association’s Best Lyricist Award for the song, Baaja, in Amar Singh Chamkila (2024). In a chat with mid-day, Kamil breaks down his approach to romantic tracks and the female gaze in 
his writing.

Excerpts from the interview:

What’s the key to writing a good romantic track?
There are words and then there is action. One way is to say, ‘I love you’. Another way of showing it would be if there is a strong sun overhead, you tell the person you love, ‘Pedh ki chhaon mein aa jao’. I try to do the latter. The words have already been used. We shouldn’t reuse them.