Manoj Muntashir Reflects on Life-Changing Meeting with Amitabh Bachchan

Lyricist Manoj Muntashir recently shared insights about a pivotal moment in his career during an exclusive interview with Times Group Editor-in-Chief Navika Kumar on her podcast, Baatein Dil Se. He recounted his first encounter with the legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan, which ultimately led to his involvement with the popular television show Kaun Banega Crorepati (KBC). Muntashir described arriving at the meeting dressed in second-hand clothes, grappling with feelings of self-doubt and financial struggles. Despite these challenges, the meeting marked a turning point in his life, as Amitabh Bachchan chose to overlook Muntashir's appearance and instead recognized the potential in his language, providing him with the breakthrough he had long sought.

During the podcast, Muntashir candidly admitted that he remains uncertain about how his work reached Amitabh Bachchan. He shared that during his difficult times, he consistently wrote, and some of his pieces eventually caught the attention of Sameer Nair, who was then the COO of Star. Muntashir recalled, "I don’t know the complete story, but I know that during my struggle, I kept writing anything and everything." Sameer Nair, familiar with Muntashir's early challenges, felt compelled to introduce him to Amitabh Bachchan. This recommendation led to a meeting that would significantly alter Muntashir's career trajectory. He vividly remembered entering a room where Amitabh Bachchan was being briefed about KBC, alongside advertising mogul Piyush Pandey. The atmosphere was foreign to Muntashir, who had only aspired to write songs for films and was unfamiliar with the television industry. He described sitting quietly in a corner, observing the iconic actor from afar, noting that he had never envisioned himself in such a setting.