“It was wonderful collaborating with Richa Sharma ji for the first time” – Sahil Sultanpuri

In the late ‘90s, Sahil Sultanpuri arrived in Mumbai armed with his command over words and love for poetry. Over the years, the lyricist penned several songs for films and non-film albums. From Asha Bhosle to Hariharan, Sahil collaborated with some of the most respected names in the music business. In the year 2019, Sahil has had a massive hit in the form of ‘Akhiyaan Milavanga’ from the Vidyut Jammwal – Adah Sharma starrer ‘Commando 3’.

Sahil recently penned ‘Peer Fakeer’, a qawalli from the upcoming Hindi-language film ‘Dhaaak’. The song has been composed by Meet Handa and sung by Richa Sharma. While the song talks about love and separation, it also has a philosophical bent to it. Just like most other qawallis one has heard in Hindi films, ‘Peer Fakeer’ is driven by the sound of Indian instruments.

Talking about the experience of working with Richa Sharma, Sahil says, “It was wonderful collaborating with Richa Sharma ji for the first time. I had always wished to write a song that would be sung by her. My wish finally came true with ‘Peer Fakeer’. People know Richa ji as a ‘sufi gaayika’. When you see her perform on the stage, you realize the kind of magic she creates with her voice. She casts a spell on her audience through her vocal renditions. She makes every song sung by her special by putting a variety of emotions in them. After working in the industry for so many years, I have realized one thing. All legendary artists are the ones who also happen to be good human beings. The same can be said about Richa ji. It was an honour to work with an artist of her stature.”

Richa Sharma, who recently lent her voice to the Ajay Devgn starrer ‘Maidaan’, has indeed sung ‘Peer Fakeer’ beautifully. ‘Dhaak’, which features Mohd Saleem Mullanavar, Sheena Shahabadi, Avinash Wadhawan, Pradeep Singh Rawat and Ruslaan Mumtaz in principal roles, is an action drama and this song arrives at an important juncture in the film. In the past, Sahil has had very strong associations with several composers and has worked with them repeatedly on many projects. He has had a long-standing association with Meet Handa as well.

“I had worked with Meet in the past. A couple of years ago, we did a single for Kumar Sanu da. ‘Haan Magar’, a single composed by him and written by me, was released by Zee Music Company last year. Though we have worked in the past, this is the first time we have collaborated on a film. We are well-versed with each other’s working styles and that’s why the process of working with him is so smooth and comfortable. Meet is a highly talented composer who always comes up with soulful melodies. I hope we collaborate on another song very soon”, says Sahil.

Designed for a theatrical release, ‘Dhaaak’ will hit the theatres soon. On the professional front, Sahil is busy with multiple projects. Apart from working on a bunch of films, he has written some songs for independent artists as well. One of his upcoming projects is a feature film which will have him collaborate with ‘Akhiyaan Milavanga’ composer Mannan Shaah after a while.