As Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (ZNMD) completes 15 years, composer-singer Shankar Mahadevan looks back at the making of one of Hindi cinema’s most enduring soundtracks, crediting director Zoya Akhtar’s clarity of vision and the team’s commitment to creating music that stayed true to the film’s emotions. “Whenever we work with Zoya, it’s always a clean slate. We go back to the drawing board without any baggage because every film demands its own sound. There’s always that anxiety because it’s a new subject and the music has to be absolutely fresh and path-breaking,” says Mahadevan. Shankar Mahadevan on ZNMD turning 15: Every person found something to relate to Calling Akhtar “a dream director”, he adds, “She’s crystal clear about what she wants. There are discussions, but never ambiguity. If she likes something, she likes it. If she doesn’t, she doesn’t. That makes the entire creative process simple and smooth.” He elaborates that the music was always conceived as an extension of the film’s storytelling rather than as standalone chartbusters. “Zoya wanted the music to become an …