Some songs don’t arrive with noise—they settle in quietly, finding a place in the silences people don’t always speak about. With Aakhri Ishq from Dhurandhar: The Revenge, playback singer, songwriter, and music composer Jubin Nautiyal brings that quiet ache to life, capturing a kind of love that doesn’t end dramatically but slowly fades. As the song continues to resonate, he reflects on its emotion, the restraint behind his voice, and his growing connection with Telugu music.
Excerpts
What would you like to say on the response received for Aakhri Ishq?
Honestly, I feel very grateful. The response has been overwhelming, but more than numbers or reach, what stays with me are the messages people send, telling me how the song made them feel or made them feel understood. That’s always been the intention. If Aakhri Ishq could sit with someone in their quiet moments, I think we’ve done something right.
‘Some love stories don’t end — they fade into silence’. What did that line mean to you personally?
Not every love story has closure… some just dissolve over time. There’s no fight, no dramatic goodbye just distance, silence, and acceptance. I think that’s a very real kind of heartbreak, and in some ways, it hurts even more because you don’t know exactly what you’re grieving.
Your voice often carries a sense of longing. How did you calibrate that emotion differently for this track?
Usually, longing can be expressive, but here it needed restraint. It’s not someone crying out in pain it’s someone who has already cried and is now just sitting with what’s left. That quiet ache was important to maintain.
Was there a specific line or moment in the song that hit you the hardest while recording?
There’s always that one line that suddenly feels too real… and for me, it was: ‘Tu bhi rahegi, tu na… main na raha toh, aangan aankhon mein suna’.
Which part of the song was technically the hardest to get right?
I genuinely feel Shashwat Sachdev has done a great job with the entire album of Dhurandhar. With Aakhri Ishq, the melody he’s created carries a very intense longing, and with Irshad Kamil sir’s lyrics, it flows seamlessly from one line to another. Everything felt so aligned — the words and the melody were already carrying the emotion so effortlessly that it didn’t feel technically difficult. The recording itself had a certain intensity — everyone in the studio could feel it — and sometimes when the emotion is that real, you don’t have to try too hard; you just have to surrender to it. I had a brief about the situation and the emotional graph. Sometimes I prefer not watching too much because it can influence you in a fixed way. I like to imagine my own space within the story.
Was this built from multiple takes, or captured in a single emotional take?
I usually believe in capturing the emotion in as few takes as possible. Technical corrections can always happen, but emotion is very momentary. For Aakhri Ishq, we did a few takes, but the final version comes from a very honest, almost uninterrupted flow.
At this point, heartbreak is almost your brand, does that box you in or power you?
I think it’s a bit of both. It gives people a certain expectation from my voice, which is beautiful, but as an artist, I also want to explore beyond that. Having said that, if my voice naturally connects with this emotion, it’s a great thing.
What’s one emotion you think people haven’t heard in your voice yet?
Maybe something more light-hearted and carefree. I think people mostly associate my voice with intensity, so I’d like to explore something that feels a little more effortless and fun.
With songs like VaareVaa VaareVaa, what would you like to say about singing more Telugu songs?
It’s always special. Singing in Telugu is both challenging and rewarding. The language has a musicality of its own, and I really respect that.
What’s something you enjoy the most about the Telugu industry and its music?
The emotional connect of the audience with the music makes it more meaningful for me to work on myself better.
You sang VaareVaa VaareVaa after nearly six years since your last Telugu song, was there a specific reason?
There was no conscious gap. I think it’s just about the right song coming at the right time. When something feels right creatively, language doesn’t matter.
Have performing these songs in the South live changed the way you approach them?
South Indian audience is a very open minded audience they love to listen to artist of different region and different languages, but if an artist of a different region sings something in their language they definitely welcome it with open hearts and lots of love
What’s more on the plate?
There’s a lot of music coming, some familiar and some unexpected. Very soon.