I rely on life to pen songs, glad people still relate with them: Gulzar

Gulzar is one of the finest songwriters in the Hindi film industry

Veteran lyricist Gulzar, who has been an inseparable part of Hindi cinema for nearly six decades, says that fans are able to relate to his lyrics even today as he relies on 'life itself' while penning songs.

"Films are ultimately stories and depict certain situations. So everything shown there is associated with life itself. My songs feel fresh today, which indicates that I must have done something right," he told DH.

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Gulzar began his career as a songwriter in the 1960s and garnered attention with his work on the 1963 release Bandini He penned Mora Gora Ang from the classic, which attained a cult status. In the years to follow, he collaborated with a host of legendary music composers -- right from R D Burman to Madan Mohan -- emerging as a force to be reckoned with.

His most notable films as a lyricist include Aandhi, Mausam, Sadma, and Masoom to new a few. He remained a dominant force in the 90s with his work in Dil Se. The Chaiyaa Chaiyaa song, in particular, became a cult hit and garnered a fair deal of international attention. His association with musician-turned-director Vishal Bharadwaj added new life to his already stellar career as the two collaborated for popular movies such as Omkara and Haider.

The two recently reunited to launch their song Theek Nahi Lagta, which was composed in the 90s but did not see the light of the day back then. It has been sung by Lata Mangeshkar and deals with an 'uncommitted relationship'. It has a timeless feel and bears testimony to their pedigree.

The two are set to continue their professional association with Darlings, which features Alia Bhatt in the lead and has been produced by the star herself. It has been directed by Jasmeet K Reen and is touted to be a comedy-drama. The film has an impressive cast that includes Shefali Shah, Vijay Varma and Malayalam actor Roshan Mathew

It remains to be seen whether the celebrated combination is able to live up to the standards set by their previous songs.