Siddhant Kaushal, who is known for his brilliant writing for films like 'Kill', 'Deva', 'Tumhari Sulu', 'Bob Biswas' and 'Drive', has now come up with his first full-length film album with Pratik Gandhi and Yami Gautam’s film 'Dhoom Dhaam'. He has written all the songs of the film which present a wonderful blend of different genres.  In this exclusive conversation, Siddhant shares with us his process, inspiration and experience of writing the music and songs of 'Dhoom Dhaam'.

Was this your first time writing an entire film's album? And how was it for you ?

I had written two-three songs in some films before, but this was my first time when I wrote a complete album of a film. And in this journey, I would like to thank Clinton sir and Bianca ma’am from the bottom of my heart. Actually, I started with them in Mumbai, but I met them not as a lyricist but as a singer. One evening i got a call while i was in the studio , it was Clinton sir, i disconnected thinking ill call him after im done. But he called again and i said sir im a little busy, may i call you in a bit ' then he said, 'I want to talk to you about one thing.'he said that Aditya Dhar is on the call, and I am connecting you with him. Aditya told me, 'There is a song in our film, which is for a wedding or dance number, we are seeing if you can join us.' And that's where our journey began, this was in the first few months of 2022. Initially, I wrote the song and presented it, but the lyrics got rejected immediately. Then we wrote the second draft, that too got rejected. Then Aditya told me, 'When are you free, come home, let's jam.' I went to his house, and then the jamming began. During this time I wrote the 3rd draft and finally the song became how are you then there. And thats the process, sometime you crack it in one go sometimes it can take a few drafts.

How did the word 'Lub Dub' come to your mind? And what does it mean ?

Me and Aditya were sitting together and jamming, and suddenly Aditya said to me, "Do you know what the medical term for Dhak Dhak is?" I thought, "What do they call it?" and I felt a little embarrassed, because my mom is a doctor, and I didn't know what it was called! Then Aditya smiled and said, "Doctors call dhak dhak 'lub dub'." I loved that word at that moment, because not only did it sound lovely, but it also had a meaning to it . And then after a few minutes i came up with the lines “Lag gaye khushiyon ke jo tadke ji, dil nervous-nervous dhadke ji, Lub-dub lub-dub karke ji" That’s the beauty of a collaborative process, sometimes random conversations can give birth to new ideas. Another word i’m receiving feedback for is the usage of the word “caterpillar” as opposed to naagin. 

How did you get the opportunity to write the music for the entire film?

When our first song was over, I didn't know if I would get the work for the entire film. Then Aditya told me, "I have spoken to Clinton for the second song, so let's jam together." My eyes lit up with joy as I felt I had got the second song too. When the second song was ready, I thought, "What about the rest of the songs?" Then Aditya told me “ Why don’t you write all the songs “ and that’s how it happened. He showed his trust and faith in me just like Clinton and Bianca. They’re all veterans and to have them around me and work with them has been a great learning experience but with a lot of fun. 

What are your thoughts on the song 'Nikat' from the film ‘Kill’ which went viral and was loved by everyone?

Let me tell you that "Nikat" is a song that came out in a very fluid flow. I want to give all the credit for this song to Haroon, because the melody he created for this song is really praiseworthy as i always react first to a melody while keeping the brief in my mind. It was one rainy evening that this song happened as we were having coffee and pakoras. I remember at the time of the Antra of the song, i was sitting on the couch and thinking what to write. Nothing came to my mind for about 15 mins. Then i got up took a little stroll in the house, and then after a while i came up with the lines “ Bachne ka koi na aasaar ve, jhalli ho jhalli ho gayi tere pyaar mein “ , which today I hear from a lot of people  that these lines so simply capture the essence of surrendering in love. And that’s how the antra happened for Nikat. And what can i say about Rekha Ji, she’s taken the song to a whole different level altogether.