In 2015, Hesham Abdul Wahab made his debut as a composer with the Malayalam-language film ‘Salt Mango Tree’. Over the years, one witnessed the prolific composer making a mark not just in the Malayalam film industry but also in Telugu and Tamil film industries with his work on films like ‘Hridayam’ (2022), ‘Kushi’ (2023), ‘Hi Nanna’ (2023), ‘Maaman’ (2025) and ‘The Girlfriend’ (2025).
The Siddhant Chaturvedi – Mrunal Thakur starrer ‘Do Deewane Seher Mein’, which releases in theatres today, marks Hesham’s debut in Hindi cinema. The film, which has been co-produced by Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Zee Studios and directed by Ravi Udyawar, features the mellifluous track ‘Aasma Aasma’ composed by Hesham and written by Abhiruchi Chand, who has also written the film.
In this interview, Hesham talks about realizing his dream of composing for a Hindi film, collaborating with Jubin Nautiyal and Neeti Mohan, the joy involved in working across different languages, upcoming projects and more.
‘Do Deewane Seher Mein’ is the first Hindi film you have worked on. How did this film happen?
For the last many years, I was knocking on all the doors and trying to meet producers, directors and individuals working with music labels in Mumbai. Mrunal Thakur and I have known each other since we worked on ‘Hi Nanna’. She had passed on my number to Ravi Udyawar sir. Ravi sir and I started talking and he told me about a few situations in the film where one could use songs. One day, I shared a couple of scratches with him but he felt they would not be suitable for the film. I flew down to Mumbai and watched some of the visuals from the film. The visuals inspired me a lot and I ended up creating a scratch. Ravi sir liked it and locked it immediately. That’s how ‘Aasma Aasma’ was born.
The song has been written by Abhiruchi Chand who has also written the film.
Yes! Sometimes, it takes a lot of time to crack the lyrics. However, Abhiruchi wrote the lyrics quickly and did a wonderful job at it.
You have worked with Jubin Nautiyal in the past but ‘Aasma Aasma’ marks your first collaboration with Neeti Mohan.
That’s right! Both of them have sung it so beautifully! I recorded Neeti’s vocals in Mumbai. Jubin was not able to come down to Mumbai. Abhiruchi and I flew down to Uttarakhand and recorded Jubin’s portions there.
‘Qadam Badha’ (2015), which was one of your earliest works, was a spiritual album featuring songs in Hindi and Urdu. Most of the songs you make for Malayalam and Telugu films get dubbed in Hindi. So, in a way, you have not been too far from the language.
Yes, but ‘Do Deewane Seher Mein’ is the first Bollywood film I have worked on. That is why it will always be very special to me. The journey from trying to do a Hindi film to finally getting one was quite long. You have to keep meeting people and figure out how the industry works here. I am grateful to Ravi sir for making this happen. Mrunal, of course, played a huge role in it as she was the one who recommended my name to him.
Sanjay Leela Bhansali has co-produced the film. Did you have a chance to meet him?
I could not meet Sanjay Leela Bhansali sir as he was shooting for his film when we recorded the song. I hope to get the opportunity to meet him sometime in the near future.
You started out in the Malayalam film industry. You continue to be active there and are also working on Telugu and Tamil films. Now, you have stepped into Hindi cinema.
Doing a Hindi film was on my wishlist for a very long time. A large number of people, across different states, listen to Hindi film music. Therefore, creating a song in this language is a huge responsibility. All these years, I was wondering as to when I will get to compose for a Hindi film. Now that it has finally happened, I feel very emotional about it. I was in third grade when A. R. Rahman sir’s ‘Dil Se’ (1998) came out. I used to perform that song frequently. That song and the album had a life-altering impact on me. Doing a Hindi song, therefore, has been a special feeling.
What are you doing next?
Two Hindi films are in the pipeline. I will be making my debut in Kannada cinema this year with a film featuring Golden Star Ganesh in the lead role. Then, there are two films each in Tamil and Telugu. I feel happy about crossing language barriers through music and getting the opportunity to work in multiple industries.