Irshad Kamil on ‘Main Vaapas Aaunga’ and writing songs that belong to everyone

Irshad Kamil writes about love with a rare demystifying quality. He invokes its irresolvable charm with expressions echoed in the everyday — like in ‘Tum Se Hi’ from Jab We Met or ‘Tum Jo Aaye Zindagi Mein’ from Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai — while also keeping room for a touch of quirk as seen in ‘Isq Risk’ from Mere Brother Ki Dulhan and underlining the feeling of innocence in ‘Jug Ghoomeya’ from Sultan . His collaborations with Imtiaz Ali are particularly striking, seeming to come from a deeply personal space and swiftly becoming the voice of Jordan, Ved, Chamkila and Keenu. Irshad, however, opines that all of his songs come from a personal space.