KK's last song was with Gulzar, after 26 years

The last song sung by late singer KK was released posthumously on Monday evening, following the famous singer's death on May 31, 2022. The release drew frenzied responses from his fans.

Noted film critic and Bollywood trade analyst, Taran Adarsh, took to Twitter and announced the news of the release of KK's latest song, which amplifies the subject of greenery preservation. It is also the first number of KK to be released after his demise last week.

The lyrics of KK's "Dhoop Paani Bahne De" song—which will be featured in director Srijit Mukjherji's latest movie "Sherdil: The Pilibhit Saga"—has been written by Gulzar, and the music was composed by Shantanu Moitra.

The song's video shows actor Pankaj Tripathi travelling through a forest, where he and co-actor, Neeraj Kabi, share a meal amid the greenery. Pankaj, Neeraj and Sayani Gupta play the lead roles in the film, which focuses on the theme of forest conservation and the conflict between humans and animals.

The first two lines of this new song are: "In har ek pedho ki, daaliyaan kat gayi. Kuch pooja mein, kuch shaadiyon mein jal gayi, kat gayi"

The song brought together Gulzar and KK after 26 years. The last time the two worked together was when the singer crooned (along with Hariharan, Suresh Wadkar and Vinod Sehgal), the popular song "chhor aye hum woh galiyan" in the 1996 film "Maachis."

"Srijit has done me a favour in Sherdil. Not only did I get to write for such a beautiful film, but I also got to meet KK after many years. KK had first sung a song of mine in Maachis, Chhor aye hum woh galiya. When he came to sing the song for Sherdil, it filled my heart with joy but It's a shame that this had to go down as one of his last songs. It's like he came to say goodbye," Gulzar said.

Shantanu said "KK told me this song brought Gulzar sahib back to him after two decades. He was also excited that he would sing this song in live concerts, as  it talks about conservation and the youth needs to listen to this."

The film, scheduled for release later this month, is inspired by true events and focuses on the negative effects of modernisation and man-animal conflict.

KK died on May 31 after performing at a concert in Kolkata's Nazrul Mancha auditorium.