July 29: Foryears, RishabhAnupam Sahay hasworkedacrosscinema,writingandthevisualarts, pursuing stories that move fluidly between image, word and sound. A long-time poet, instrumentalist and composer, Sahay now opens his private musical world to listeners with Dil Udta Phire, a song written and composed by him, and sung by Raghav Kaushik.
Delicate and uplifting, ‘Dil Udta Phire’ is a lyrical meditation on desire, restlessness and the quiet rebellion of the heart. Written during the lockdown, the song captures the tension between feeling confined by circumstance and choosing to surrender to hope, imagination and possibility. Its origins are quietly woven into the lyric‘Band botalon mein hain djinn se’. What began as a deeply personal reflection has evolved into a song that speaks to anyone who has ever longed to break free and venture beyond the walls around them.
ProducedbyNakulChugghandmasteredbyPrasadMaha,thesongcarriesSahay’ssignaturecinematic sensibility while remaining intimate in scale, allowing silence and melody to share equal space.
Speakingaboutthesong,RishabhAnupam Sahayshares,
“I’vealwaysbelievedeverystoryhasarhythmof its own. Some become films, some begin as screenplays or poems, while a few are nourished until they find their beat as songs. Dil Udta Phire is about longing but for a liberated version of ourselves. The heart has a curioushabitofwandering,evenwhenthebodyisconfinedtoacubicle,alaptopscreen,ortheslowprocession of traffic and the daily humdrum of life. Raghav’s voice brings an effortless warmth and freshness. If, for a few moments, Dil Udta Phire reminds someone the feeling of dreaming a little more recklessly, to love deeply, or simply to feel a little lighter, then this story has found its home.”
Raghav Kaushik adds,
“When Rishabh first shared the song with me, I immediately connected with the honestyofhiswritingandmelody.Thesonghasararesimplicity-itfeelslightandfree,butcarriesaquiet longing within it. As a singer, my instinct was to stay true to that feeling and let the song breathe. I hope listeners feel the same warmth that we felt while creating it.”
A filmmaker,writerandcomposer,RishabhAnupam Sahay’sworkhastraversedlong-form fiction,independent cinema and culture. His acclaimed Sony LIV series, Salt City with Applause Entertainment, international recognition at the Prix de la Photographie Paris amongst others, and collaborations with leading brands reflect a practice built on a deep instinct for human stories.
Dil Udta Phire marks the beginning of a new artistic chapter for Rishabh, where cinema, poetry and music come together. The single opens the door to a larger artist universe, with more original music to follow.