Music composer Amaal Mallik believes rock music has staged a full-scale revival in India, and he is putting that conviction at the centre of 'Yeh Awarapan' — the lead track from the upcoming Emraan Hashmi-starrer 'Awarapan 2'. Speaking during promotions of the film, Mallik said the genre's return had been building for some time, and that having Arijit Singh lend his voice to a rock anthem in 2025 would make that reality impossible to ignore.

Rock's Return After a Decade

'I think rock music has already made a comeback,' Mallik said. 'With Yeh Awarapan, having Arijit Singh croon a rock anthem this year, I think many people will also believe that the genre is back and we should do it.'

He traced the arc of the genre's earlier peak and subsequent fade: 'In 2007, early 2000s to 2011, rock music, rock bands were going around the world. Somewhere after that, even music became very electronic.' The observation reflects a widely felt shift in Bollywood's sonic landscape, where EDM and electronic production dominated the better part of a decade.

Melody First, Genre Second

Mallik was clear that for him, genre is always a vehicle, never the destination. 'A composer should always focus on a good melody, and then retrofit the genre as per the demand of the song,' he said.

He pointed to his own discography as evidence: 'I have also done a lot of songs like Suraj Dooba Hai, 100 Asmaan which were EDM. But never leave the melody quotient.' He argued that even his most high-energy productions hold up stripped of their production: 'Take the most upbeat song in my career like Suraj Dooba Hai — even if you remove all the beats, this is not a club track melody. This is a good melody.'

The Making of 'Yeh Awarapan'

Mallik revealed that the title itself shaped his compositional choices. He deliberately avoided heavy programming, opting instead for a lighter musical texture to contrast with the lyrical weight of the word 'Aawarapan'.

'When the word is so deep, Aawarapan, it cannot be defined with one thing,' he said. 'In Aawarapan, there is a lot of happiness in this song. There is a lot of realization, there is introspection, there is a feeling of sitting and talking to yourself in the song. Sometimes it feels like you are telling your story to a friend.'

He described the lyrical register as intentionally conversational: 'There are such words in the song. When you sit with someone, you tell him that I have lost the journey of my life. It sounds like you are narrating your story. So, the lyrics are very conversational but deep.'

What to Expect from Awarapan 2

Awarapan 2 stars Emraan Hashmi and marks a return to the franchise that gave Bollywood one of its cult noir soundtracks. With Mallik at the helm of the music and Singh on vocals, the film's audio release is already drawing attention well ahead of its theatrical run. Whether the track accelerates rock's mainstream comeback — as Mallik predicts — will become clear once listeners weigh in.