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Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →In a 2017 interview, composer Lalit Pandit said he believed the composer’s presence in Hindi film music had “gone down drastically,” partly because digital tools made it easier to assemble tracks. He also named “Mera Chaand Mujhe Aaya Hai Nazar,” from the 1999 film Yeh Hai Mumbai Meri Jaan, as one of his favourite songs. His comments are a personal retrospective, not a measurement of the industry today.
Why did Lalit Pandit think the composer’s role had declined?
Speaking to Akshay Manwani of Scroll.in on 2 October 2017, Pandit distinguished composing from putting a track together. A composer, he said, imagines a song in relation to its place in a film and how it will be pictured; a musician can then contribute to assembling the music. “A composer and a musician are two distinct entities,” he said.
Pandit connected what he saw as a diminished composer’s presence to digitisation and the availability of similar sound-making tools. His striking line that someone walking to Yash Raj Studio would pass “500 composers” was rhetorical, not a verified count. The interview cites no independent study or statistic establishing an industry-wide decline.
He did not present digital technology as only a problem. In his view, when composers have access to comparable tools and can work on the same machine, the idea behind the song becomes more important. He pointed to “Munni Badnaam Huyee” as an example of a track built around a clear concept.
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- Import, Soundtrack
What did Pandit say defines a Jatin-Lalit song?
Pandit described the duo’s work as melody-led and attentive to lyrics and arrangement. They worked with established lyricists including Majrooh Sultanpuri, Javed Akhtar and Anand Bakshi. Rather than letting instrumental parts play continuously, he said, they placed them deliberately and aimed for clarity in the arrangement.
Composition was shared between the brothers: sometimes Jatin made a song, sometimes Pandit did. Pandit studied orchestration and handled technical work such as orchestration and balancing. Jatin played piano and guitar, sang and wrote. They studied music with the same teacher, and learned singing from their father, Pandit Pratap Narayan.
Pandit also recalled a process shaped by the recording setup of the time. Jatin-Lalit used 24-track recording, rehearsed singers before studio sessions and spent substantial time on songs, including the more elaborate mixing multitrack work required. These are his recollections of their own process, not a general account of the history of recording.
Which Jatin-Lalit song was one of his favourites?
Pandit named “Mera Chaand Mujhe Aaya Hai Nazar” from Mahesh Bhatt’s 1999 film Yeh Hai Mumbai Meri Jaan as “one of my most favourite songs ever.” He said the film had good music but did not succeed, and that its music consequently went unnoticed. He called it one of his favourites, not his single definitive favourite.
The interview also discusses songs from across the duo’s career, including “Bin Tere Sanam” and “Tumhi Humaari Ho Manzil” from Yaara Dildara (1991); “Ae Kash Ke Hum” from Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (1994); “Ho Gaya Hai Tujhko Toh Pyar Sajna” from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995); “Main Koi Aisa Geet Gaoon” from Yes Boss (1997); “Tujhe Yaad Na Meri Aayee” from Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998); and “Mere Haath Mein” from Fanaa (2006).
Why did Jatin and Lalit split after Fanaa?
Pandit said the brothers decided midway through making Fanaa that they would separate after completing the film. He recalled that producer Aditya Chopra knew about the plan and was concerned they would finish the music. Pandit promised to make it exceptional; later, he told Chopra it had come “from the heart.”
The interview dates the split to 2006. Pandit described it with regret, saying the duo had never experienced a career low and that they “might be the only duo who quit at the peak.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What did Pandit say about changes in film-song situations?
In the same 2017 interview, Pandit argued that Hindi films had fewer slow romantic, sad, cabaret and female-led songs. He also said playback singers in duets could be given only a line or two, and that background songs had displaced lip-sync performances. He believed audiences connected less with the background songs.
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These are Pandit’s observations and opinions at the time, not quantified findings or evidence about Hindi cinema in 2026. He also argued that Indian musical diversity and classical influence help film songs endure, while wholly Western-sounding music may work temporarily but not last in the same way. That, too, is his musical view.
Read the interview
Akshay Manwani’s interview with Lalit Pandit, published by Scroll.in on 2 October 2017.
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