Lyricist TANVEER GHAZI, who has published Ishq Musaafir, a book on shayari, speaks with SHALINI SAKSENA on how he ended up writing lyrics for Bollywood and why he pursued Urdu

What is Ishq Musaafir about?

The book has romantic poetry; it has ghazal and nazms. One will only find love in the pages here. I am primarily a shayar who loves to write on love.  Let me read a few lines of what has been written in the book; it will give you a gist of why I chose this subject — Kehte hain ishq jisko, khalal hai dimaag ka; lekin mera apna khyal yeh hai ke us aadmi ko bavla zaroor banata hai, lekin kameena nahin hone deta. It is important in this world where there is so much hatred that there are some schools that spread the message of love. My book is for all those who have forgotten to love and life has made them a robot.

From MA & PhD in Urdu to lyricist. What made you venture into Bollywood?

I was always interested in shayari. And since I write on romance, I thought my work should find its way into the entertainment industry as well. But I didn’t have the means to pursue a career here. But I do a lot of live shows in India and abroad. It was during one of the shows in Mumbai, where a few music directors were there and had taken my number. They wanted me to work with them. This was back in 2005. They told me that they wanted me to write one song; the rest were being written by Ravindra Jain. It was an item number. They loved and I ended up writing all the songs. Slowly, I kept getting work.

nHow did you get into writing?

I was always interested in shayari. I had always studied in English medium schools. I pursued Urdu because I wanted to know about this language and wanted to be a poet. Pursuing the language came much later in my life.

You have been selective with your work in Bollywood. What is the reason?

There is a nazm by Faiz Ahmed Faiz — Kuchh isq kiya kuchh kaam kiya. I have spent a major part of my life with romance. Of course, I have spent time working but when it comes to Bollywood, I didn’t want to be part of the race. I want to set my own pace and do my kind of work. I don’t want to do the kind of songs that are being done today. I don’t want to do what others are doing. What is the point? I want my work to have my stamp. I get two-three projects and am happy with it.

nWhat kind of work would you like to do in the industry?

Today, there are two kinds of work being done in Bollywood. One is fast numbers. Second, romantic numbers. Love can never die. I just feel the way romantic numbers are being presented is where I wanted to see a change and try to write lyrics that appeal to the classes and masses. The song should have shayari as well. People put in a lot of money making the songs. I feel lyrics should also play its role. Writers should write songs that have a certain standard.

Is it tough to do shayaari in today’s times?

Actually, the mehfils of yesteryears have only gone up. The change has been the fall in the kind of shayari that is being done. Earlier, shayari was limited to the king’s court; now it is for the general public. The only problem is that many shayars, in order to earn more money, have lowered the standard of poetry. Poets should not fall at the level of the masses; they must raise the standard of the masses by introducing them to good shayari.

What next?

There are a few things in hand. I have a few movies. I am working on a book as well. Once the COVID-19 reduces, I have live shows as well.