Manoj Muntashir on 'Teri Mitti': Written imagining a soldier's last moments
Synopsis
Manoj Muntashir wrote 'Teri Mitti' around one question he couldn't shake: what does a soldier think in the final seconds of his life? His answer — drawn from conversations with soldiers' families — was not regret, but pride. That single insight became one of the most emotionally powerful Hindi film songs of the decade.
Key Takeaways
Lyricist Manoj Muntashir revealed the creative process behind 'Teri Mitti' from the 2019 film 'Kesari' on the show 'Tum Ho Naa — Ghar ki Superstar' .
The song was inspired by a visual of 21 Sikh soldiers who sacrificed their lives defending a fort — a reference to the Battle of Saragarhi .
Muntashir said conversations with soldiers' families revealed that their final emotion is immense pride , not regret.
The song was sung by B Prakash and featured on Akshay Kumar in the film's war sequence.
Host Rajeev Khandelwal said the song gives him goosebumps, particularly the lines about a soldier's mother.
Renowned lyricist and poet Manoj Muntashir has revealed that his celebrated song 'Teri Mitti' from the 2019 film 'Kesari' was conceived entirely around a single haunting question: what does a soldier think in the final seconds before death? Muntashir made the disclosure during an emotional appearance on the show 'Tum Ho Naa — Ghar ki Superstar', hosted by actor Rajeev Khandelwal.
The Thought That Sparked the Song
Muntashir described the precise moment of inspiration — a visual of the 21 Sikh soldiers who sacrificed their lives defending a fort, a reference to the legendary Battle of Saragarhi that forms the backdrop of 'Kesari'. He said the image of a soldier taking a bullet to the chest, bleeding, with consciousness fading, prompted one overwhelming question.
'Does he regret joining the Army? Does he wonder if he should have chosen another profession? Does he think giving his life was not worth a ₹25,000 paycheck?' Muntashir asked, recounting his own internal dialogue at the time of writing. He said his conversations with soldiers' families gave him the answer: in those final moments, the feeling is one of immense pride, not regret.
In the Soldier's Own Words
Muntashir shared the core sentiment that shaped the song's lyrics in his own words: 'Ae meri zameen, afsos nahi, jo tere liye sau dard sahe. Mehfooz rahe teri aan sada, chaahe jaan meri yeh rahe na rahe' — translated as: 'My beloved land, I have no regrets for enduring a hundred hardships for you. May your honour always remain protected, even if I do not survive.'
He explained that the entire composition flows from this singular thought process — the soldier's last few seconds, and the singular emotion that fills them. 'Everyone has to die one day,' Muntashir noted, paraphrasing what he had heard from soldiers' families, 'but if my life is being given for my country, there can be no greater honour.'
Rajeev Khandelwal's Emotional Response
Host Rajeev Khandelwal responded visibly moved, saying the song has brought him to tears every time he has heard it, particularly the lines about a soldier's mother. 'Even now, whenever I hear that line, it gives me goosebumps,' Khandelwal said on the show.
About the Song and Film
The song 'Teri Mitti' was sung by B Prakash and featured on actor Akshay Kumar during the film's most emotionally charged war sequence. 'Kesari', released in 2019, dramatises the true story of the Battle of Saragarhi, in which 21 Sikh soldiers of the 36th Sikh Regiment held off an army of thousands on the North-West Frontier in 1897. The song became one of the most widely shared patriotic compositions of recent years, regularly played at military tributes and national events.
The episode of 'Tum Ho Naa — Ghar ki Superstar' featuring Muntashir is set to air shortly, and is expected to resonate deeply with audiences who grew up with the song.
Point of View
Into the soldier's psychology. Muntashir's instinct to ask 'what is he thinking?' rather than 'what did he do?' is precisely what gave the song its emotional authority. In an era when patriotism in popular culture often defaults to spectacle, a lyric built on doubt-then-pride is a rarer and more honest register. The song's durability at military memorials and national events is no accident — it speaks to grief as much as glory.
NationPress
29 Jun 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What inspired Manoj Muntashir to write 'Teri Mitti'?
Muntashir was inspired by a visual of the 21 Sikh soldiers who sacrificed their lives defending a fort — the event depicted in 'Kesari' as the Battle of Saragarhi. He said the image prompted him to ask what a soldier thinks in his final seconds, and that question became the foundation of the entire song.
What is the meaning behind 'Teri Mitti'?
'Teri Mitti' is written from the perspective of a dying soldier in his last moments, expressing pride rather than regret at giving his life for his country. The core lyric translates as: 'My beloved land, I have no regrets for enduring a hundred hardships for you. May your honour always remain protected, even if I do not survive.'
Who sang 'Teri Mitti' in the film 'Kesari'?
The song was sung by B Prakash and featured on actor Akshay Kumar during the film's emotionally charged war sequence. 'Kesari' was released in 2019.
Where did Manoj Muntashir reveal the story behind 'Teri Mitti'?
He made the disclosure on the television show 'Tum Ho Naa — Ghar ki Superstar', hosted by actor Rajeev Khandelwal, in an upcoming episode that is set to air shortly.
What did Manoj Muntashir learn from soldiers' families about their final moments?
Muntashir said his conversations with soldiers' families revealed that in their final moments, soldiers feel immense pride — not regret. He paraphrased their sentiment as: everyone has to die one day, but dying for one's country is the greatest honour.
