The ongoing year marks a decade since Kausar Munir and Amit Trivedi first joined hands for a Bollywood project. With Trivedi having grown to be “more a friend than contemporary”, Munir attributes his ability to recognise a lyricist’s talent to their success as a duo. “Because we have respect for one another, there is a sense of ease in our relationship. We don’t let that comfort allow us to become complacent, though. Amit has a great equation with Amitabh Bhattacharya, and Swanand Kirkire as well. So, the credit goes to him for his ability to play to a writer’s strength,” says Munir, who has collaborated with him again for Rani Mukerji’s upcoming film, Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway. 

In a bid to replicate the Bengali culture with authenticity on screen, Munir says they relied on common phrases from the language while working on the music. “All three songs have the phrases. The song Aami jaani re is [named after] the Bengali phrase, and is based on a mother, who is separated from her kids, but aims [to tell them] that she knows what they must be feeling, even though she is not physically present [with them].  We had the privilege of accessing the visuals, and that helped us [in the portrayal of the culture]. While we wanted to make it authentic, it still had to be universal.”