Veteran lyricist Sameer Anjaan has revealed that composing lyrics for Oscar and Grammy-winning music composer A. R. Rahman was among the most demanding creative challenges of his career, citing their sole collaboration on the 2002 patriotic film The Legend of Bhagat Singh as a uniquely difficult yet memorable experience.

What Sameer Anjaan Said

Speaking on film trade expert Komal Nahta's podcast 'Game Changers: The Music Series', Anjaan reflected candidly on the collaboration. 'I found it difficult to write for A.R. Rahman. I have only worked with him on one movie, The Legend of Bhagat Singh. If you listen to the songs, you'll understand how difficult they were to write. The movie has become a legendary film, and there were some lines taken from the original words of the 'Shaheeds'. Reimagining and writing them was very difficult for me. It was a fun memory,' he said.

The remark offers a rare window into the behind-the-scenes creative pressure of crafting lyrics for Rahman, widely regarded as one of the most technically demanding composers in world cinema. Notably, the film itself has attained cult status in Indian cinema, making the weight of the assignment all the more significant in retrospect.

The Complexity Behind the Collaboration

The challenge, Anjaan explained, lay partly in the source material itself. Several lines in the songs were drawn from the actual writings and words of the Shaheeds — the martyrs of India's independence movement — requiring him to reimagine historical text within the constraints of Rahman's intricate musical architecture. For a lyricist celebrated for emotional, romantic compositions, the shift to historically grounded, politically charged verse represented a significant creative departure.

Sameer Anjaan: A Career in Numbers

Sameer Anjaan holds a Guinness World Record for writing the highest number of film songs, making him one of Hindi cinema's most prolific lyricists. He dominated the 1990s Bollywood landscape and has collaborated with some of the industry's biggest composers and singers across decades. His body of work spans numerous Filmfare Awards and includes some of the most recognisable romantic songs in Indian film history. His ability to distil complex human emotions — love, longing, separation — into accessible yet resonant verse has earned him enduring respect in the industry.

About the Podcast

'Game Changers: The Music Series', hosted by Komal Nahta, spotlights celebrated singers, composers, and music maestros as they share their creative journeys, inspirations, and the untold stories behind the music that has shaped generations. The series is available on YouTube, with the latest episode featuring Sameer Anjaan.

The conversation adds to a growing body of firsthand accounts from veteran artists recounting the craft and pressure behind iconic soundtracks that defined an era of Indian cinema.