Swanand Kirkire makes his acting debut with Crazy Kukkad Family. The multi-faceted lyricist talks to Shrabasti Mallik about his plans of directing a movie
We have adored Swanand Kirkire for his award-winning lyrics like 3 Idiots’ Behti Hawa Sa Tha Wo, lage Rahe Munna Bhai’s Bande Me Tha Dum, Parineeta’s Raat Hamari Toh, Satyamev Jayate’s O Ri Chiraiya among others, but little did we know that the lyricist was also interested in directing movies and happen to be an alumnus of NSD. Though direction couldn’t take off in Bollywood, he will soon be seen wearing an actor’s hat in Crazy Kukkad Family.
The movie that also stars BA Pass siren Shilpa Shukla is a humorous stories of three individuals trying to rob a bank. “I was reluctant when director Ritesh Menon approached me with the script. But when I heard it, it sounded very interesting. Even my character is funny. Being the eldest of four siblings, he is a jugaadu kind of a guy and adopts various methods to inherit his father’s property. I had crazy time during the shoot but I never knew I could do so well,” he said. After Bawra mann from Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi, Kirkire has sung another song in the movie.
Kirkire, known for his thought-provoking lyrics, told us that he likes Honey Singh’s compositions. “I like his songs. Irrespective of what he is writing, he has a good voice which connects with voice of the youth,” he said. Although he listens to new-age songs, he is disappointed by the atrocious lyrics. “People are writing such demeaning lyrics and I have no idea how they are being accepted and appreciated by the audience. That is where the catch lies. Some of these songs run and generate a lot of money. So for more revenue, lyricists follow that trend,” Swanand said adding that he is lucky to have directors who never pressurised him to follow patterns.
Earlier lyrics were instrumental in movies but now they hold little relevance. He explained, “If a song or two becomes hit, it is an easy conclusion that it will lure audience to the theatres. That is why nowadays, the film crew concentrates more on the songs rather than the subject,” he said. However, he is hopeful since good movies with impressive lyrics are also being accepted by the audience. “You do not need weird lyrics and loud music to generate interest. If the story is good the movie will work for itself. lyrics are an additional supplement to the story.”
He lauds filmmakers like Raju Hirani and R Balki who do not succumb to market pressure and do not compromise on the quality of words. “Why can’t our industry follow that trendIJ It is possible because it involves hard work. People want to take the shortest route to making more money — make a few songs and cheat the audience.”
Kirkire calls himself a storyteller through songs. “When I tell a story, the lyrics automatically become important and meaningful because I talk about the characters and theme of the film. I don’t write songs to titillate the people. The songs mix with the story and work more along with the story than individually. Before the film releases, they fail to work that much because people are unable to relate, but when they hear it in the context of the movie, they relate to it more.”
He explained us his style of writing. “First I try to understand the language of the film. lyrics change with characters. like when you do lage Raho Munna Bhai your words turn to bole toh and apun, typical Mumbaiya. When you are doing 3 idiots, playful words can be included to make it relatable to youth. There is no need of politics or imagery or metaphors. The language is simple. Similarly with Parineeta and Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi you are more lyrical. It all depends on the movie, script and the characters.”
Kirkire would be willing to do more movies provided he gets good roles. “I am open to act more but that should excite me,” he said. Basking in the success of pk, he looks forward to Shamitabh. He pointed out, “One of the songs sung by Amitabh Bachchan has already become a hit.” He also added that he has his heart set on directing his first movie this year. “Nothing is fixed yet, but I would really like to do it this year. And even if I do, it will not be before December,” he rounded off.