Javed Akhtar with Amitabh and Abhishek Bachchan at the music launch of Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna; (below) Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukherjee in the film

You had turned down Kuch Kuch Hota Hai because you didn?t like the title. Now you have become a constant associate of Karan Johar?

My association with Dharma Productions is as old as Dharma Productions itself. I had written their first film Dostana in the 1970s. I have known Karan from the time he was eight or nine. My working relationship with him is two films old now. I had written the lyrics for Kal Ho Naa Ho which he wrote and produced. Now, of course, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna has also been directed by him.

Not just Karan, I love working with the entire new generation of directors like Ashutosh (Gowariker) and Farhan (Akhtar). Working with them brings a new energy and a new insight in me. They have a better understanding of the audience and know how to communicate with them. So it turns out to be both paying and fruitful for me.

Would you rate Karan as a musical director?

I find Karan to be an extremely musical person. He may not be able to hum tunes (laughs), but he is very, very clear about what he wants. That?s why his music does extremely well every time. Sometimes he can?t explain what exactly he is looking for. So what Shankar Ehsaan Loy and I do is keep offering him options. It finally reaches a point when he says, ?This is it, this is what I was looking for.? When we review the whole process, we realise that he has indeed chosen the best option.

So, there are no creative differences with him?

See, it is the director who is making the film. He knows the characters, the kind of situations there are in the film. So he always takes the final call. If there is a good rapport and understanding with the director, then no major problems can happen.

The Kal Ho Naa Ho title track became such a cult song. Were you under pressure to deliver the KANK title number?

I find the Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna title track a very personal song. The generalisation and the universal thought of Kal ho naa ho ? Har ghadi badal rahi hai roop zindagi ? is there much more in the Mitwa song. Mere mann yeh bata de tu/ Kis od chala hai tu/ Kya paya nahin tune/ Kya dhoondh raha hai tu/ Jo hai ankahee/ Jo hai ansuni/ Woh baat kya hai bata? Now this thought can apply to anybody, anywhere, at any point of time.

As far the title song goes, it has a fantastic composition. When I first heard the tune and had to write the words on it, I got so intimidated. Intimidated by the purity of the tune. So even though it is more of a personal song, it has all the ingredients to become a super-duper hit.

And then you have used the piano theme of the title song and written the most simple but the most beautiful words in Tumhi dekho na?

Thank you very much. But you know, it is very complicated to achieve simplicity (laughs). Tumhi dekho na is a very important song in the film. This is the situation when the two (Shah Rukh Khan and Rani Mukherjee) confess love to one another despite being married to other people. So the song defines the purity, the dignity and decency of the relationship. If it would have been a light-hearted song, then the whole meaning of the relationship and hence the film would have been lost. Yet, it had to be a love song. So, I would rather say, Tumhi dekho na has a certain class to it.

How do you rustle up English words for the disco tracks alongside such pure Hindi poetry?

Generally, I have tremendous reservations about using English words. But in Karan?s films, I do not feel that limitation. There, the words do not sound wannabe. The whole atmosphere, the characters, the culture, the ethos of the film do not look different from those words. Also, Karan?s films are about the synthesis of Indian culture and Western influences. So, the words do not sound forced. In It?s the time to disco, I used lines like Kaun mile dekho kisko. There is a lovely fabric to the words.

You have called Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna a very bold film. Why do you say that?

It is not only bold, Karan has made the subject palatable for everybody without pulling any punches. Now, that is a very tall order. Everyone, not just me, will be very proud of it. When I read Karan?s script before writing the lyrics to know more about the characters and situations, my first reaction was one of envy. I wished I had written it.

You also have Don and Umrao Jaan coming up?

All four of my forthcoming films Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, Umrao Jaan, Don and Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd are different in terms of sensibilities and feel. In Don, Farhan is using two songs from the original film ? Khaike paan banaraswala and Yeh mera dil ? and I have written three new songs. In Umrao Jaan, I have written six ghazals. I know there are great expectations from the team of J.P. Dutta, Anu Malik and me. And this time there will be comparisons too, with the earlier version.