In the realm of Bollywood, where words weave magic and melodies leave an indelible mark, lyricist-writer Kausar Munir has carved a niche for herself with her poignant and powerful storytelling. With a repertoire that boasts some of the most memorable songs in recent times, Kausar's versatility and depth as a dialogue writer have earned her widespread acclaim.

Her song, 'Lehra Do' from the movie '83', has not only become an anthem for the film but has also transcended boundaries to emerge as an unofficial cricket anthem for India, perfectly capturing the nation's pride and passion.

In an exclusive and candid conversation, Kausar Munir takes us behind the scenes, revealing the creative process that went into crafting this iconic song, sharing her enriching experience of collaborating with visionary director Kabir Khan, and opening up about the delicate balance between artistic expression and commercial expectations in the world of Bollywood lyrics.

Have you ever felt like succumbing to the commercial pressure of writing lyrics that cater to the younger generation?

Item songs will be made. Courtesans won’t sing Bhajans. A bar dancer will always present an item number. But the calibre of writing is important. When Gulzar Sahab writes an item number, it becomes ‘Bidi Jalai Le’. There is no succumbing to anything. We are in the service of the script. If the script needs me to write a raunchy bar dancer song, then it is my lack of skill or my great skill that I come up with something that is beautiful. I have just written an item song which is all about a tamashe wali singing “Ha bhi meri, na bhi meri… Mai apni marzi ki malik.”

When asked if she ever anticipated the love that the song has received, and how it has become an unofficial anthem for Indian cricket, she said, “I am grateful that it has become an anthem of sorts. However, we don’t anticipate love and success and we don’t anticipate the gaalis (abuses) also. We are making songs with our efforts and honesty.”

Recalling what went behind penning the lyrics of ‘Lehera Do,’ Munir said, “I wrote this song after watching the edit. Kabir Khan, the film’s director, showed me the scene back-to-back. The emotion that has been expressed in the song, came after watching that scene over and over again where the Indian cricket team loses a match. This song has come full circle because it came out as motivation as its base.”

Munir also spoke about how Khan reacted to the lyrics when he first read them “I keep on saying that I’m not writing as a poet or for a wider audience. And this is solely my process. I write songs only for one person - the director. It is so because it is their film and they know how to put all the pieces of a jigsaw puzzle together. Kabir is not a reactive person. He is not big on his reactions. Kabir’s good reaction is when he says, ‘It’s in the film.’ Every director has a different reaction; some may give a huge reaction while others might have a different way to express it.”

Munir and Khan have collaborated on various projects including ‘Ek Tha Tiger’, ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’, ‘Phantom,’ ‘Tubelight’, ‘The Forgotten Army - Azaadi Ke Liye’, ‘83,’ and ‘Chandu Champion.’