Neeti Mohan is making waves again with her brand new hit song 'Tu Hain Toh' from 'Mr & Mrs Mahi'

Neeti Mohan doesn’t require any introduction. The Delhi-based singer-songwriter and composer is one of the most sought-after singers in the industry. Even though she mostly sings in Hindi, her tracks in Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Bengali, Punjabi and English, are not any less popular. She came into the limelight following her success with Channel V’s reality show Popstars. That was just the beginning for Neeti, who later gave us timeless hits like Ishq Wala Love from Student of the Year (2012), Jiya Re from Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012), Kashmir Main Tu Kanyakumari from Chennai Express (2013), Tune Maari Entriyaan from Gunday (2014), Sau Aasmaan from Baar Baar Dekho (2016), Meer-E-Kaarwan from Lucknow Central (2017) and many more such chartbusters. Neeti has now released the female version of Tu Hain Toh from the movie Mr & Mrs Mahi (2024), starring Rajkummar Rao and Janhvi Kapoor and the song is already topping charts. In a light-hearted and candid conversation with Neeti, we get to know more about this recently released track, how staying in shape is non-negotiable for her, her learnings from being a judge on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2023 and lots more…

Starting with the latest update. You recently released your version of Tu Hain Toh from the film Mr & Mrs Mahi. Can you tell us more about the song and the emotions that it evokes?

I can’t find words to express what this song feels to me. The first time I heard this song, I instantly felt overwhelmed with emotions. Sometimes, there is a perfect marriage between the words and the tune and I think this has happened in Tu Hain Toh. When I heard the male version, I loved it. I’m so happy that the entire team felt that there should be a female version too. I am also happy that as much as I have loved the song, people are loving it and that’s what is impor - tant. Sometimes we love the song, but it doesn’t connect with people as much as it has connected with us, which is absolutely fine. But this song has been genuinely connected with people across all age groups.

Take us through your career as a musician? How did it begin?

Since childhood, I was always drawn towards music. Wherever I was, if there was music, I would leave everything — be it food or friends or relatives or my parents and I’ll just be around music. That is how it started and then I heard a lot of good music playing at home. There was a lot of Indian classical music, bhajans and ghazals. So, I always felt that music really drew my attention. My parents always supported me and I started learning music formally. I trained in Indian classical music and started participating in school and college competitions. Following that, in 2003, I took part in one of the first ever reality shows in the country, Channel V’s Popstars, in Delhi. It’s been more than 20 years since that day and now when I look back, I feel really happy that I went for that audition. Since then I have learned so much and I’m still learning and I know, there’s still a long way to go.

What does music mean to you?

There is one line from the song (Tu Hain Toh) — tere bina so nahi sakte, kisi aur ke ho nahi sakte [I can’t sleep without you, nor can I belong to anyone else] (sings). Music means that to me. It’s something that I can’t sleep and wake up without. I need it all the time in my life. I’m truly grateful that I’m doing something that I love as a profession. So, I never feel like I’m working.

Neeti, last year you were one of the judges on the show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2023. What were your learnings as a judge?

My biggest learning was not to judge anyone (laughs). Never judge because people surprise you by how much they can work hard on their craft. I always take these shows as experiences to learn, grow and have a good time. Music reality shows are good platforms. They make you popular and give you an experience that you do not get sitting at home.

Even though most of your songs are in Hindi, you ventured out to South Indian languages like Tamil, Telugu and Kannada. Was it difficult when you tried singing in these languages?

In the beginning, it was difficult because I do not speak the languages. But because I have performed with AR Rahman for many years, I learnt from him that music is beyond language. I took help from a lot of people and I understood how to pronounce some of the words. There are certain words that have to be pronounced differently in different languages. So, if you just pay attention to that, you can try to sing in different languages. Recently I recorded a song in Gujarati and it’s a beautiful song. I’m always excited to sing in different languages because it makes me sound different to what I sound like in Hindi. I like that experience of learning more Indian languages.

Would we however listen to you singing in Malayalam, as well, considering it’s such a complicated language to master?

I would love to. I think it is one of the languages I haven’t really had a chance to sing in. I had sung a jingle many years ago but I don’t know if we can call that a song. But I’m looking forward to singing in Malayalam.

Which are the other languages that fascinate you? Or which is that one language that you want to sing in?

Singing in Spanish is quite exciting. I find that language very interesting. I find French very interesting. I was once training for a couple of projects and so I trained under an opera singer for a couple of weeks. I ended up trying some arias, which are Italian operatic pieces. It was interesting. I also happened to sing a cover song in Korean last year. It was for an Indo-Korean concert. People loved it. That’s what languages do. They bring you closer to people who don’t know you and it makes them feel that you made an effort in their language.

When you’re not working on any music, what does your daily routine look like?

Then I’m a mother. When I’m not working, it’s very busy. It’s never an off day for me.

How do you manage between motherhood and being a musician?

It’s a hustle to be honest but I quite like it. I live for the hustle. So, I love it. As much as I love running for my music projects, I love coming back home to my child. I think, I have the best of both motherhood and music.

How do you keep yourself healthy and fit? Is there a diet that you follow?

You have to be very disciplined. I feel like it doesn’t work for me if I eat anything which is randomly available. I have to be disciplined. I wake up early and I have to do my riyaz. I have to work out. That is non-negotiable. At least four times a week, I make sure I follow a routine so that I have good stamina to perform for two or three hours on stage. I have a child, so I have to run after him too.

If not a musician, what would you have become?

I could have been in the Indian army because I had applied for that and I was in NCC because I was very excited to wear a uniform. I always found women in uniform very fascinating. It was a symbol of power and authority.

Finally, what’s next for you?

A lot of independent music, film songs in other languages and some concerts. So, lots of exciting stuff is in the pipeline. I’m looking forward to that. I hope people love what I present to them.

Tu Hain Toh is streaming on all audio platforms.

Listen to the Podcast with Neeti Mohan here!

Email: alwin@newindianexpress.com

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