by Subhash K Jha

The Dhoom machale composer is in a fix. "How am I going to create another song which is that successful? I'm in a fix! You can't design a hit like Dhoom machale. When we were working on that song we hardly thought it would become such a craze?"

Shy yet exuberant Pritam's career is at a cross-road. "Though I've done a lot of soft melodies my career has become synonymous with Dhoom. I needed to go beyond, and that's the chance I got in Meghna Gulzar's Just Married.

When Pritish Nandy Communications with whom I've done Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena was unsure of whether I could do a subject that didn't seem like my forte, I said let me try. I worked with Gulzar saab so early in my career.

It's a dream come true! I grew up listening to his songs with R.D. Burman. In college I was a member of the R.D. Burman fan club and that's where I became a fan of Gulzar saab. I dreamt of working with him one day.I didn't know it would happen so early in my career."

Working with Meghna Gulzar is challenging and fun for Pritam. "She wrote a really amusing script and the song situations are unlike anything we've seen or heard before."

Pritam burst into tears when he heard one of Gulzar saab's love lyrics. " I don't know what happened to me. A flood memories came to when I heard Gulzar saab's words. I just couldn't stop myself."

Pritam is arguably the youngest music director in Bollywood today. And Gulzar is the undoubtedly the most experienced poet writing lyrics for our films.

Gulzar Saab is all praise for Pritam. "It's virtually like a honeymoon for me. When Meghna told me that I'll be writing lyrics for Pritam I didn't know who he was. I hadn't heard his Dhoom. But I trust my daughter's judgement implicitly. So I happily met this young man. And he turned out to be a very interesting character.'

Says Gulzar saab, "You can't see eye to eye with Pritam while working for the simple reason that he wears his hair all over his face, like a sehra. His eyes are just not visible from underneath all that hair. I'm surprised by Pritam's talent. Bosky asked me to write songs that are tongue-in-cheek."

The poet-lyricist says he has never had so much fun before. "I liked writing tongue in cheek lyrics like Kaisi kaisi ram milaye jodi. That could be song describing my collaboration with Pritam."