For Mohit Suri, Music Is The Script: ‘Can’t Move Ahead Until Song Is Written’

Music has always been inseparable from cinema and while many still debate whether films elevate music or music elevates films, for filmmaker Mohit Suri, the two are one and the same.

And no, this isn’t just about his recent hit Saiyaara. Suri has followed this philosophy for nearly 20 years, beginning with his directorial debut Zeher (2005). Now, the filmmaker has opened up about how he blends music into his storytelling.

Mohit Suri On His Storytelling Approach in The Beginning Of His Career

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Mohit Suri recalled the time when he was planning to make his directorial debut and was still not sure what his storytelling approach would be. He shared, “It was a simple crime film. But I couldn’t crack it in the script.

I was so young. I didn’t know how the actors would carry it.”

But then he found Woh Lamhe Woh Baatein. He added, “That one song over five minutes said so much more than how many scenes I could have written between them. So subtly, but so effectively. That was the eureka moment.”

Mohit Suri Simultaneously Work On Both Script and Music

From then on, music has been an inseparable part of his writing process. The Awarapan director added, “Wherever I get stuck, I realise, okay, this is a song. I actually work on my music while I’m writing the film.” Suri explains. He adds that he does not move ahead in the script until he has at least a scratch version of the song in place. “It’s literally like a scene. It’s part of the writing process. It’s a key thing.”

He’s also clear about what he won’t do. “I’ve never put pressure on a music director saying, give me a super hit song. I’ve always asked for a song that works for the situation,” he says. He pushes back against the assumption that he goes hunting for chartbusters. “Everyone thinks I do that; I honestly don’t.”

He mentioned Sun Raha Hai Na Tu from Aashiqui 2 as an example. “People kept saying, why are you talking about a song where someone’s crying and dying? But it just worked for my film,” he recalls.

The same instinct shaped Saiyaara. After hearing a rough version sung by Kashmiri musicians, he immediately knew it belonged in the movie, even if others weren’t convinced. “I told the YRF team, this is the song. They probably thought I was crazy,” he said with a smile.

Saiyaara’s Success

Mohit Suri’s romantic drama Saiyaara climbed to the top of IMDb’s popularity charts. Starring newcomers Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda, the film resonated with audiences with its emotional narrative and hit soundtrack. Its impressive box-office performance further cemented it as one of the year’s major commercial successes.