“We needed a great voice to justify this song. The first name that came to our mind was Udit ji. Initially, we thought it would be a challenge for he is such a veteran singer. We had faith in our song and that worked.” says lyricist, Anant, as he shares his experience. “Udit ji was quite impressed with the song when he heard the lyrics. He is a simpleton and he lives by the same philosophy. He was immediately sold on the idea. I must say that he not only imbibed but also lived the core idea of the song even before we started recording it,” adds Anant.
“mere liye to jeevan ki philosophy hai…Maza aa gaya!’ These were the words that came straight from Udit Narayan when he was asked about his feelings about the song that he sang for the film Itwaar. It’s a song that will heal the souls and give a renewed energy to move ahead in life. A peppy, upbeat number rendered in the voice of the enigmatic singer Udit Narayan has a message everyone will relate with, especially in the grim times we’re living in today.
Music Composer Shantanu Sudame could not hide the gleam of happiness in his eyes when he was asked about the song and he added, “I was a mere participant in Indian Idol when I had first met Udit ji as his diehard fan and I feel blessed to share the song composed by me and sung by the veteran.”
Shantanu added, “Udit ji, didn’t change a single note and it was his magnanimity that he took my suggestions to sing the song the way I had envisaged it.
Anant and Shatanu as a team have worked on several other projects but this song has proven a milestone for them and they thanked the director Rahul Srivastava for making them a part of this journey. Anant explains director’s brief, “Rahul asked for a daily mantra of life from a modern day Kabir, the saintly philosophy behind the song should emphasise that a positive state of mind will open up fresh perspectives that can find solution to life’s problems.”
Itwaar is a story revolving around the protagonist Anubhav Verma played by Kumud Mishra, a middle-aged working professional who is forced to relocate to support his only son’s studies. He gets upset with a bad news that has a domino effect on his entire day, and one after the other, he finds himself surrounded by negativity in whatever he does. He fails to recognise the fact that the world remains unchanged, but it’s the negativity of his mind that takes over everything, thus failing him to find the simplest solution of worldly problems.
The film has received international acclaim at the RiverToRiver 18th Florence Indian Film Festival in Italy. It received the Special Jury Award at 16th Kalpanirjhar International Short Fiction Film Festival 2018 and Filmingo International Short Film Festival 2018. The film was an official selection at Dadasaheb Phalke International Film Festival 2019, 9th Jagran Film Festival 2018 and many more.
Written and directed by Rahul Srivastava, Itwaar stars Kumud Mishra, Harshit Sidhwani and Lubna Salim in key roles. The film is currently streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
