MUMBAI: With the recent success of his composition ‘Teri Meri’ from ‘Bodyguard’, lyricist Shabbir Ahmed has received wide acclaim and a new found recognition for his work. The lyricist now has more than 15 upcoming films in his kitty including six with his favourite Himmesh Reshammiya.

He made his debut in 2004 with Salman Khan's Garv and has written songs for movies like ‘Wanted’, ‘Kya Love Story Hai’, ‘Partner’, ‘Apna Sapna Money Money’ and ‘Jodi Breakers’ amongst others. His recent compositions ‘Bipasha’ and ‘Teri Meri’ grew very popular among audiences bringing him in the limelight.

Speaking about the success of ‘Teri Meri’, Ahmed said, “The entire idea of this song was conceived by Salman Khan. We worked the whole night to write this song and find a right tune. It was because of this unique combination of the composer Himmesh and actor Salman that such a universally hit song could develop. I am glad I got a chance to work on ‘Teri Meri’ and it has received so much acclaim today.”

Ahmed credits his success in bollywood to Salman Khan. “I have done many films with Salman and written several songs for him including ‘You’re my love’, ‘Aksa beach’, ‘Soni de Nakhre’ amongst others. These songs really worked for me and luckily the songs proved a hit for him as well. I am very indebted to him for giving me the opportunity to reach where I am today,” he claimed.

The lyricist has his plate full for 2012 and is penning songs for more than six films with Himmesh Reshammiya like ‘Dangerous Ishq’, ‘Khiladi 786’, ‘Shortcut Romeo’ and more. Ahmed added, “It has always been a very unique experience working with a composer like Himmesh. He is very passionate about his work which is very addictive. He has a lot of sense about lyrics and is sometimes very adamant on a particular word and style and doesn’t give in till it is incorporated. I have been working with Himesh from past 2-3 years and have written around 200-300 songs for him till now.”

Ahmed has also penned lyrics for movies including ‘Zilla Ghaziabad’, ‘Department’, ‘Tezz’, ‘Son of Sardar’, ‘Kismat Love Paisa Dilli’, ‘Big Boss’ and ‘Oh My God’ which are set to release soon. The movies include songs in various styles like khayal, shayari, romantic, sad and item numbers as well.

Talking about his work in ‘Zilla Ghaziabad’ he said, “The songs feature a very desi style which is a blend of thoughts by Vishal Bharadwaj and Gulzar. They have been written in a simple way bringing out a greater meaning through the verses. The tahzeeb of Lucknow, sangam of Allahabad and colour of Banaras will be seen in the songs of the film. The dialect of UP has been used heavily in the lyrics.”

Shabbir Ahmed has worked with a wide range of composers in his career like Vishal-Shekhar, Sajid-Wajid, Salim-Sulaiman, Pritam, Himmesh Reshammiya and also Sandeep Chowta. He had penned the lyrics for ‘A Foreign Affair’, Chowta’s collaborative album with international band Spyro gyra which topped Billboard charts at number two. “Every music director has a different style of working and compose songs of various genres so working with each one of them is a different experience altogether. I share a good rapport with all of them. The focus should just be on the work you are getting, how you implement the ideas by the composers and incorporate it into your songs. If you do your work well, it’s natural that accolades will come your way,” Ahmed states.

Commenting on the increasing use of ‘Hinglish’ words in songs today the lyricist claims, “The use of such words in a song doesn’t make it sound modern. There was a time when people felt that if you include English and Punjabi words the song will become an instant hit but it doesn’t work like that. If the song has been composed and written well and has a good melody then only the song becomes a hit. You can get lakhs of such songs but only those win awards which have meaningful lyrics.”

Inspired largely by Anand Bakshi, the lyricist aims to adapt his style of penning songs in simple language keeping the character and storyline in mind which made his compositions an instant hit. Having grown up hearing compositions from stalwarts like Naushad, Khayam and Madan Mohan, Ahmed credits his art to the legends. “I have grown up hearing compositions of these legends and they have taught me whatever I know today,” concludes Ahmed.