"I have a problem with albums where each song is by a different music director," Kumar tells us over the phone, expressing dismay by the subsequent lack of cohesiveness. For Laila Majnu, he composed five out of the 10 songs. "I feel the songs actually denote the thread that is continuing in the movie. And so, some sort of continuity is important. Even if you aren't watching the movie, you should get what is happening by just listening to the song. It's all about storytelling, and music should have meaning as well," says the musician whose father was sitar player Kartick Kumar, a disciple of Ravi Shankar.

Kumar's songs from Laila
Majnu, be it the Shreya Ghoshal-sung Sarphiri or the Arijit Singh-Jonita Gandhi-sung Ahista, are soulful, and mellow yet larger than life. "Hafiz Hafiz was a hard song, as the brief for it kept changing, and because it had to talk of that point when Majnu transforms from being a lover into a mad man. It's a song that is taking the narrative ahead," he says.

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For now, Kumar is basking in the appreciation that is coming in with Laila Majnu. Ask him what is next and he laughs, "Things are always in the pipeline. But it's hard to figure what is working these days. In the times that we live in, I am finding it hard to understand what medium to release my songs on. The way music is consumed these days is quite detrimental to indie music. I am still trying to figure it all out."

Also Read: Laila Majnu Movie Review - Love story that never ages

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