Shankar Mahadevan reveals 21-mix story behind Dil Chahta Hai title song

Shankar Mahadevan has revealed that the rough mix of Dil Chahta Hai's iconic title track was retained despite the team producing 21 mixes. He said the original scratch version had a “magical” quality that appealed to everyone

Mumbai: Music composer Shankar Mahadevan has revealed that the rough mix of the title track of the iconic film Dil Chahta Hai made it to the final cut despite the team producing 21 versions of the song.

Mahadevan said he, fellow composers Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa, and sound engineer Vijay Benegal, known as Benny, had worked on 21 mixes of the track.

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However, the scratch version was eventually retained after it received the most appreciation from the filmmakers and the team.

In a special video for Spotify, Mahadevan sat down for a conversation with Noorani, Mendonsa, playback singer Shaan and Meiyang Chang.

“Shall I reveal one more secret about this song? Benny did about 21 mixes of the song. And this, what you’re hearing is the rough mix. There was something, something magical about it,” Mahadevan said.

“What you’re hearing is actually the first scratch that we did of the song. The bass lines and all. We had some new samples and great drums, we experimented, and it paid off. People get scared of being minimalistic,” he added.

Mahadevan also spoke about the importance of restraint in music production.

“Most people in the business want to fill it up. That shows a person’s insecurity. If you’re very confident about your melody, if you’re confident about your groove and your bass line and that minimal thing, you don’t need stuff. If you have a good engineer who mixes it well, it fills up the space,” he said.

Dil Chahta Hai, directed by Farhan Akhtar in his directorial debut, became a defining film of modern Hindi cinema, particularly for its portrayal of urban friendship, romance and youthful independence.

Its Goa road trip became a cultural touchstone, inspiring generations of friends to recreate the journey. The film’s visual style, casual fashion and conversational storytelling also influenced Bollywood’s depiction of contemporary urban India.

Its soundtrack was equally influential, blending rock, pop and Indian musical elements.