The Hit Machine

Bollywood's most sought-after music composer, Pritam is a multi-tasker who doesn't sign off on an album until he is completely satisfied with it

- Suhani Singh

The karaoke machine is out. An assort­ ment of drinks is laid out. Aromas emanate from the kitchen. A visibly excited Pritam is readying the house for a reunion with his Film and Television Institute of India batchmates. “We haven’t met for years,” he says. “We will be live streaming it [the get­together] to friends in Kolkata.” Before the party kicks off, one of Hindi cinema’s most sought­after composers sits down for a shoot and interview. His teenage son walks in with a tiny box from the wife. It looks like a compact powder. Pritam calls his wife his biggest critic. His kids, on the other hand, determine his music these days, which means Korean pop and artists like Joji. “My Spotify stat of 4.5 billion streams in 2023 excites them more than winning a Filmfare award,” says Pritam of his two kids.

The figure is all the more im­ pressive because Pritam has been a recurring fixture on the year­end lists of audio streaming apps. In 2023, he may not have delivered a love anthem like ‘Kesariya’ (Brahmastra)—a 2022 track that featured in Spotify’s most streamed songs this year as well—but his tunes reverberated in homes, restau­ rants, festivals and more. There was the earworm ‘What Jhumka?’ (Rocky aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani) and romantic hits ‘Tere Pyaar Mein’ (Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar) and ‘Lutt Putt Gaya’ (Dunki). In a rare move, one he doesn’t want to repeat again, Pritam contributed a track to the