Tulsi Kumar and Kaifi Khalil’s ‘Fitrat’ Bridges Borders to Explore the Fragility of Love

Pakistani pop artist Kaifi Khalil duets with Indian pop artist Tulsi Kumar about an emotional tug of war in “Fitrat,” a gentle Urdu love song that reminisces about the good times, while reckoning with the shortcomings that pulled them apart.

This marks the first cross-border collaboration for Kumar, who had undoubtedly heard of Khalil’s hits, including “Kahani Suno 2.0” and more recently, “Mansoob.” She tells Rolling Stone India, “I always wanted to do a cross-border collaboration, and when I heard Kaifi’s music, I just knew our voices would blend beautifully. The emotions in his voice felt so raw and real—it was the perfect fit for this track.”

Khalil, for his part, mentions that he came into the collaboration being curious about how their “styles would meet.” The result is a gentle heartbreak song where Khalil takes the lead, but Kumar’s vocals add a well-rounded perspective lyrically. With music composed by Khalil, “Fitrat” features lyrics by Pakistani poet and writer Ali Zaryoun and music arranged by New Delhi/Mumbai producer Akshay Raheja.

“What surprised me was how naturally it all flowed, like we weren’t trying to blend, but still ended up in sync. Fitrat has a softness to it, but there’s a tension underneath too. We both let that tension stay, without trying to resolve it, and I think that’s what gives the song its weight,” Khalil says.

To work on this project, curated by Kumar, together, the artists met in Dubai, where the Indian singer says “everything just clicked.” She adds, “I’ve always been deeply involved in making my music, but ‘Fitrat’ felt different—it came straight from my soul.” From their first conversation to jamming and improvising melodies, the artists were soon adding “last-minute lyrics.” Kumar says, “We kept building on the song, piece by piece. We started jamming, and before we knew it, ‘Fitrat’ had taken on a life of its own.”

With a music video starring Pakistani actors  Sehar Khan and Rifan Hasanli as they navigate their estrangement—in a palatial mansion, no less—Kumar also had inputs for the “Fitrat” visual, even though she’s not seen in the video. She says, “It was incredibly special to unite teams from both countries to create something so meaningful. It’s a song that goes beyond borders, and I hope it resonates and strikes an emotion with everyone who listens to it.”