Manoj Muntashir

Lyricist, poet and dialogue writer Manoj Muntashir had bedtime stories read to him by his mother while growing up in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh. They weren’t fairy tales or fantasies, but stories of real-life successes that were narrated to inspire him. Muntashir imbibed the power of storytelling and employed it when he joined the quiz show Kaun Banega Crorepati as scriptwriter in the early 2000s, going on to write lyrics for Bollywood tunes including the love song “Galliyan” from the action-thriller Ek Villain in 2011 and the break-free track “Dil Darbadar” from PK in 2014. From then on, Muntashir became the go-to choice when rousing patriotism and pride were called for, famously penning the lyrics to “Teri Mitti” from the period movie Kesari in 2019—originally planned as a minute-long song, Muntashir dove into a temporary longing for home while he was in London and wrote a five-minute track. While inspirational stories from real life have continued to figure into Muntashir’s work (Satyameva Jayate 2, Bhuj: The Pride of India and Yodha), he's also written for mythology-inspired epics like Baahubali 2 and Adipurush. From love songs to riveting dialogue, Muntashi is a wordsmith that never fails to inspire.