How Himachal Inspired A.R. Rahman’s ‘Usey Kehna’ for Upcoming Film ‘Tere Ishk Mein’

With the upcoming romantic drama Tere Ishk Mein bringing back the intensity of the 2013 Bollywood movie Raanjhanaa by filmmaker Aanand L. Rai as a successor of sorts, music legend A.R. Rahman has also returned to create a sonic sequel of sorts for the soundtrack.

With the title track out in October, there’s now a lamenting piano ballad, “Usey Kehna” sung by Nitesh Aher and Jonita Gandhi, with lyrics by Irshad Kamil to add more depth to the film, starring Dhanush and Kriti Sanon.

A. R. Rahman says the song was inspired by his travels to Himachal Pradesh. “[We] witnessed the reflection of the mountains in the Ganges. Everything around inspired the creation of the melody, inspiring our teams Aanand L. Rai, Irshad Kamil, Himanshu [Sharma, producer and co-writer] and it evolved into something which is just the bare minimum of just the piano, strings and a newfound voice of Nitesh. I hope people enjoy it and feel the same way we felt creating it.”

Rai, for his part, is all praise for Rahman creating “another gem” with “Usey Kehna.” The filmmaker adds in his statement, “Music is the strongest form of magic… and I’ve had the privilege to watch the greatest magician create it up close the one and only A. R. Rahman.”

The song is out via T-Series, with Tere Ishk Mein also produced by Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar. Bhushan Kumar says in a statement about “Usey Kehna” fitting into the film’s narrative, “‘Usey Kehna’ brings out the unspoken emotions that lie at the heart of Tere Ishk Mein. It’s a song about love that is constant; one that is raw, real and deeply human. With A. R. Rahman’s soulful composition, Irshad Kamil’s heartfelt lyrics and Nitesh Aher’s voice complemented by Aanand L. Rai’s impeccable storytelling and directed visuals that capture the vulnerability of the two characters with such honesty, this track beautifully carries forward the film’s emotional core.”

Tere Ishk Mein, directed by Rai and written by Himanshu Sharma and Neeraj Yadav, stars Dhanush and Kriti Sanon and will release worldwide in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu later this month, with more songs coming up through November.