Manoj Muntashir Defends Javed Akhtar's Refusal to Recreate Border Song

While talking to IANS, Manoj Muntashir who took up the challenge of recreating the iconic song post Akhtar's refusal, spoke in favour of the legendary lyricist.

"Absolutely, he is right. If something does not inspire him and he feels he doesn't want to add anything to it, then as a writer and creator, it is completely his right. We respect that," said Manoj.

He further told IANS, "Bhushan Kumar ji, T-Series and Anurag Singh to their credit first approached him, because if you are making music for Border and you don't go to Javed Akhtar sahab, then you are doing something wrong. You must go to him."

The lyricist revealed that whole Akhtar chose to stay away from the project, he did bless Manoj and Mithoon. "But it is also true that Javed sahab gave us his blessings and said, 'I don't want to do this, you go ahead.' With his blessings, we did whatever we could," Manoj said.

Talking about recreating a piece that has managed to warm the cockles of millions hearts over the years, Manoj said, "We recreated the message, or rather, reimagined it but our hearts were completely bowed to the original creation, the song composed by respected Javed Akhtar sahab and Anu Malik ji. There is no claim by Mithoon or Manoj Muntashir on that song. That song belongs only to four people, and it is their legacy."

He added, "For the record, those four names are Javed Akhtar sahab, Anu Malik ji, Sonu Nigam ji and Roop Kumar Rathod ji. Their song will live on forever. We only added our small share - like a few bricks - to the palace built by those four, and we added them with love. That's all we did."

Earlier, Manoj had said that the song Sandese Aate Hain, is about the quiet pain and fragile hope.

Manoj had described the song as a heartfelt tribute to timeless emotions and to the lyrical legacy that inspired it.

Talking about the song, Manoj said, "I grew up admiring Javed Akhtar sahab's writing, and 'Sandese Aate Hai' is a song that has always lived deep inside me. While writing 'Ghar Kab Aaoge,' my only intent was to remain true to that same emotional honesty and simplicity. I am deeply grateful to Anurag Singh for trusting me with such a delicate emotion. Mithoon's deeply expressive eyes constantly push me to write better poetry, and I must thank Bhushan ji for giving me the opportunity to be part of a song that carries so much heart. This song is not about grand words, it is about the quiet pain and fragile hope of every home waiting for someone to return".

Directed by Anurag Singh, 'Border 2' brings together a powerful ensemble led by Sunny Deol, Varun Dhawan, Diljit Dosanjh, Ahan Shetty, Mona Singh, Medha Rana, Sonam Bajwa, and Anya Singh.

The film is set to release on January 23, 2026.

- IANS