From the playful Kuchi kuchi rakkama in Bombay (1995) to the heart-breaking Tadap tadap in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), Mehboob’s verses were a staple in Hindi movies in the ’90s and early 2000s. However, the senior lyricist took a break from work in 2004 after he suffered from slipped disc. The road to recovery may have been long, but now, he is back at the writing table, creating songs for Tiger Shroff’s Heropanti 2. What adds to his joy is that the film reunites him with AR Rahman after Yuva (2004).

“Rahman taught me not to ponder over a track after it is complete. When we recorded Tanha tanha [Rangeela, 1995], I asked him if we could hear it again, but he told me to move ahead instead of focusing on what’s already done,” recounts Mehboob, appreciating how the composer’s passion hasn’t waned over the years. “One night, I had written the mukhda for a Heropanti song. When Rahman heard it on the phone at 2 am, he was so excited that he asked me to write the antara, and immediately put Ahmed [Khan, director] on a conference call to finalise it. He always pushes me to give my best.”