Feb 06, 2026 6:25pm IST
Javed Akhtar Reveals Music Marketing Nearly Killed ‘Breathless’: ‘For 7 Years, Everyone Rejected It’ (EXCLUSIVE)
Over the years, lyricist, writer and poet Javed Akhtar has given Indian cinema some of its most memorable songs. “Breathless” was one of those gems. But what if we told you that the song, which enjoys a cult status today, was once rejected by some of the biggest singers and composers?
In an exclusive conversation with Variety India at the launch of Goongoonalo, Javed Akhtar and singer-composer Shankar Mahadevan spoke about the problems plaguing film music and how several factors have contributed to the scarcity of novelty and quality. Javed Akhtar spoke about how marketing teams have been dictating the rules of the game for quite some time, and how that, in a way, hampers artists who are willing to attempt something different. While on this topic, both Shankar and Javed Sahab revealed how “Breathless” had remained stuck in limbo for seven years before it finally materialized, and even then, it had not been easy.
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Javed Akhtar said, “What has been happening for quite some time is that the marketing department gives a list of requirements, and these are a bunch of people who do not understand anything about music. If they did, they would not be in marketing; they would be making music. I will give you an example, Breathless, which Shankar Mahadevan has composed and sung and I have written, for seven years, and when I say seven, I mean seven, not five, not six. I met everybody, and I do not want to name people because it is embarrassing.”
He added, “Even the biggest classical singers and composers said we cannot make a song like this. When they said they could not mold this into a song, I would ask for the tunes and say I would do the rest. Everyone would just give me a smile, calling it an interesting idea, but no one dared to get on board.”
Javed Akhtar revealed how, had he not met Shankar Mahadevan, he might have eventually scrapped the idea of making “Breathless” altogether. “After seven years, I met Shankar Mahadevan and narrated this idea to him, and he said he would do it. This was my luck. What if I had not met Shankar? I would still be sitting with Breathless unmade. I would have accepted that it was a bad idea because if everyone is rejecting something, there has to be some problem with it. What the marketing department believes in is one thing: nothing should be done for the first time. The second time, no harm,” Javed Sahab said.
To this, Shankar Mahadevan added, “Talking about Breathless, the marketing department was not ready to release the song or the video. They did not have faith in the song. There was an argument over it.” Javed Akhtar quipped, “The details about this row are very embarrassing. They would ask me, who will sing it? No one can sing it. How will the song get popular?”
“Breathless” was eventually released with a music video, and the rest, as they say, is history.
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