After the launch of the impressive trailer of Kesari, the first song of the film will be unveiled today. Titled Sanu Kehndi, the track will showcase the camaraderie between the 21 men who fought the Battle of Saragarhi. The number has been composed as well as programmed by Tanishk Bagchi, written by Kumaar and crooned by Romy along with Brijesh Sandilya. Director of the film, Anurag Singh, says, “The song displays the bond that these 21 guys share. We just wanted to show them having fun before things get serious. Tanishk has based it on a folk tune from Punjab and created this lovely, peppy number that’s full of masti. Kumaar, who everybody knows is superb at writing Punjabi numbers with a great hook line, has penned the lyrics. The song will appeal to everybody.”

Shooting it was great fun, too. Anurag recalls, “It’s a boy-gang kind of a song. It was a night shoot, which is always a bit difficult, but with Akshay sir on the sets, it was great fun. He likes to joke around and keep the atmosphere light.”

While the song will see the cast grooving, the director says that they ensured it didn’t come across as a choreographed number. “Since the film is set in a certain period, the look of the song was already decided. The next step was to make sure it didn’t look too rehearsed. The element of realism had to be maintained within the parameters of a commercial Bollywood film. You have to keep in mind that these are army men, not dancers. Ganesh Acharya choreographed the song. He has a knack for coming up with dance steps that look natural.”

Anurag Singh (right) on the sets of Kesari

Akshay, who leads the men on screen, was in-sync with this thought process. Anurag adds, “Akshay is a part of every aspect of the film that’s why he is what he is. We had a few discussions about the song. He had inputs with regards to the song and choreography. He, too, felt that we should have a track that was set in Punjabi folk music and have an impromptu feel to it.”

Directed by Anurag Singh, produced by Hiroo Yash Johar, Aruna Bhatia, Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta and Sunir Kheterpal, Kesari starring Akshay Kumar hits the theatres on March 21.