माटी को माँ कहते हैं

Maati Ko Maa Kehte Hain (माटी को माँ कहते हैं) is the patriotic anthem from Mission Majnu (2023), Netflix's spy thriller starring Sidharth Malhotra as a RAW agent undercover in 1970s Pakistan. Composed and sung by Rochak Kohli alongside veteran playback singer Sonu Nigam, with lyrics by Manoj Muntashir — a writer known for his patriotic film songs (Kesariya Balam, Teri Mitti) — the track was released as a promotional single on 17 January 2023, three days ahead of the film's 20 January Netflix premiere. Unveiled personally by Sidharth Malhotra on social media, the song frames the film's covert-operations story within a larger tribute to soldiers and intelligence operatives who serve the nation unseen, positioning Bharat Maata (Mother India) as the emotional core of the narrative rather than any depiction of conflict with Pakistan.

Rochak Kohli, better known primarily as a composer of romantic Bollywood ballads, steps in as co-vocalist alongside Sonu Nigam for this anthem, giving the track a layered, two-voice gravitas typical of Hindi film patriotic songs. The arrangement favours a measured, mid-tempo build — restrained percussion and swelling strings — designed to underline the lyrics rather than overpower them, in keeping with the genre's convention of letting the words carry the emotional weight.

Manoj Muntashir's lyrics build on the well-worn but resonant metaphor of the nation as mother, with the refrain 'duniya mein hum hi akele hai jo, maati ko maa kehte hain' (we alone in the world call our soil mother) asserting a claim of unique national devotion. The opening line 'hum India hai, hum nafrat pe nahin, pyaar pe palte hai' (we are India, we are not raised on hatred, but on love) frames the song's patriotism as affirmative rather than adversarial — a deliberate lyrical choice for a film about espionage against a neighbouring country, keeping the emotional register on love of homeland rather than enmity toward the other side.

Mission Majnu, directed by Shantanu Bagchi, dramatizes a covert Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) operation in 1970s Pakistan, following agent Amandeep Singh (Sidharth Malhotra), who operates undercover as 'Tariq Hussain' and marries a blind woman, Nasreen (Rashmika Mandanna), while working to expose Pakistan's nuclear weapons programme. After facing theatrical delays, the film premiered directly on Netflix on 20 January 2023. Maati Ko Maa Kehte Hain was released as the film's promotional anthem on 17 January 2023, with Sidharth Malhotra personally unveiling the track on social media as a patriotic companion piece to the spy narrative, tying the covert heroism depicted on screen to a broader tribute to those who serve the nation unseen.

As a promotional single accompanying a direct-to-Netflix release, Maati Ko Maa Kehte Hain did not chart on mainstream Bollywood music charts, but it found a steady audience among listeners seeking patriotic content around Republic Day (26 January), a period when such songs traditionally see a seasonal spike in streaming and radio play. The song's official Zee Music Company video has drawn several million YouTube views, and it continues to be used in patriotic-themed playlists and short-video content around Independence Day and Republic Day each year.