Rajkumar Hirani approved Swanand Kirkire's song Maafi from Pritam and Pedro immediately over a text message

Acclaimed lyricist, singer, actor and composer Swanand Kirkire has shared a delightful behind-the-scenes story about "Maafi," the retro-inspired song from Rajkumar Hirani's debut streaming series Pritam and Pedro. The soulful track, which has been receiving immense love from listeners, had an unusual beginning - much of it was written by Swanand on WhatsApp while he was juggling a hectic shooting schedule in Goa. The song is sung by Shreya Ghoshal, composed by Shantanu Moitra, and pictured on Mona Singh, playing a pivotal role in the series.

Despite being occupied with filming, Swanand remained creatively immersed in the song. Between takes and long shooting hours, he would pen verses on his phone and send them directly to Rajkumar Hirani. The moment Hirani received the lyrics, he instantly approved them, and the song quickly moved into recording with Shreya Ghoshal lending her voice and Shantanu Moitra bringing the melody to life. The result is a nostalgic track that has become one of the emotional highlights of the series.

A songwriting process built for the smartphone era

The story behind "Maafi" offers a rare glimpse into how modern technology has quietly reshaped the creative process behind even the most traditional Bollywood art forms. Lyric writing has historically been associated with notebooks, late nights in recording studios, and long sit-down sessions between composer and writer. Swanand Kirkire's account of writing lines between shots, in vanity vans, and during travel breaks reflects a broader shift in how artists now work — fragmented, mobile, and often dictated by the demands of overlapping projects rather than dedicated creative time. That a song this emotionally resonant emerged from stolen minutes on a film set, rather than a formal writing session, speaks to how deeply ingrained Kirkire's craft has become; the writing didn't need ideal conditions, only attention.

This mode of working also says something about the trust embedded in long-standing creative partnerships. Sending unfinished verses over WhatsApp to a director as demanding and detail-oriented as Rajkumar Hirani is not something every lyricist would feel comfortable doing. It requires a shorthand built over years, an understanding of what the director is looking for even before the full picture is assembled. Kirkire's comfort with sharing incomplete work in real time, and Hirani's ability to instantly recognize when the emotion was right, reflects the kind of collaborative fluency that usually only develops after multiple projects together.

Talking about the making of "Maafi," Swanand Kirkire said, "Some songs arrive after months of planning, and some simply find their own way to you. 'Maafi' was one of those rare songs. I was shooting in Goa for another project and my days were packed from morning till night. But Raju sir had shared the situation with me, and the emotion stayed with me throughout the schedule. Every time there was a small break between shots, while travelling to the location, sitting in the vanity van or waiting for the next setup, I would open WhatsApp and keep writing lines as they came to me. I wasn't sitting with a notebook or in a studio, I was literally writing the song on my phone, one thought at a time. As soon as I felt a section was ready, I would send it to Raju sir. What amazed me was how quickly he connected with it. His response came almost instantly, saying that this was exactly the emotion he was looking for.

Within no time, the lyrics were locked, Shantanu Moitra had woven his beautiful melody around them, and Shreya Ghoshal elevated every word with her magical voice. Looking back, it's funny that a song written between hectic shoots and typed out on WhatsApp has now become one of my most memorable collaborations. It reminds me that inspiration doesn't wait for the perfect place or perfect time - it simply asks you to listen."

A poetic irony at the heart of the show

The show is about the misuse of the internet and modern technology, but the same technology was used in a very positive way. This contrast is worth sitting with a little longer. Pritam and Pedro, from what has been shared about its premise, examines how digital tools and connectivity can be exploited or misused in contemporary life — and yet, the very technology under scrutiny within the show's narrative became the vessel through which one of its most emotionally significant songs was born. There's a quiet irony in a track about "Maafi" (forgiveness) emerging from the same medium — instant messaging — that so often gets blamed for miscommunication, hasty words, and the erosion of patience in modern relationships. Instead, WhatsApp became the space where a lyricist and director found exactly the right words together, in real time, without the friction that distance or delay might have introduced in an earlier era.

This detail also underscores something particular about how Rajkumar Hirani works as a storyteller: even while directing a series that interrogates the darker uses of technology, he remained practical and open to using those same tools when they served the creative process. It's a reminder that technology itself is neutral — its impact depends entirely on the intent behind its use, a theme that quietly echoes both the making of "Maafi" and the larger themes of the show itself.

A song rooted in a long-running creative partnership

The retro-flavoured "Maafi" adds emotional depth to Pritam and Pedro and reflects the long-standing creative partnership between Swanand Kirkire, Rajkumar Hirani and Shantanu Moitra, who have collaborated on several acclaimed projects over the years. This trio's history together — spanning some of Hindi cinema's most beloved soundtracks — has built a level of creative shorthand that allows for exactly this kind of spontaneous, unconventional songwriting process. When a director, lyricist, and composer have worked together long enough, the need for elaborate briefs or repeated revisions diminishes; a shared understanding of tone and emotion takes over, allowing a song to come together in days rather than weeks, even under the pressure of overlapping shooting schedules.

A milestone series for Hirani and his collaborators

Pritam and Pedro marks Rajkumar Hirani's much-awaited debut in the long-format streaming space. Created and produced by the celebrated filmmaker, the series also introduces Vir Hirani in his acting debut alongside an ensemble cast featuring Arshad Warsi, Vikrant Massey, and Mona Singh. For a filmmaker best known for tightly constructed feature films, the transition to a long-format series represents its own creative challenge — one that requires sustaining emotional arcs, musical moments, and character development across a longer canvas than a two-hour film allows. The story of "Maafi" being written between shoots and approved over a text message is, in many ways, a fitting emblem of this new chapter: a director known for meticulous, deliberate storytelling adapting nimbly to the fast-moving, technology-driven realities of making a modern streaming series, without losing the emotional precision that has defined his work for decades.