Almost three years ago, Kapil Sibal started writing in Hindi to reach out to a wider section of people. While talking about his lyrics for the forthcoming movie Zainab, he tells Divya Kaushik that his experiences in different fields inspire him as a writer
Wisecracks and tongue-in-cheek remarks are often expected of him. But that he can write an item number and a qawwali, too, is a surprise. Politician and lawyer Kapil Sibal has been writing poetry since his childhood and now he has written lyrics for the forthcoming movie Zainab which is based on the riots of Muzaffarnagar. Directed by Pranav Singh, the movie features Jimmy Shergill and Ashutosh Rana among others.
The veteran politician, who in the past came up with two anthologies of English poetry and an albumRaunaq with songs composed by AR Rahman and sung by lata Mangeshkar and Shreya Ghoshal among others, started writing in Hindi some three and a half years ago. “Writing poetry has always been a part of my life. Earlier I used to write in English but that genre is very esoteric. The most effective way to convey your emotions is through your mother tongue. I started writing in Hindi to reach out to masses,” shared Sibal during the poster launch of the movie.
On what made him write lyrics forZainab, Sibal said, “Serious films are a rarity in Bollywood today and when I was narrated the storyline, I was moved. It is a love story loosely based on Muzaffarnagar riots. The film beautifully deals with the issues that we are facing today.
If there is a message that the audience can derive from this film, it is of humanity and brotherhood. I can connect with the values that the film promotes. Through the lyrics I have conveyed the values that I stand for — humanity is above religion and we all must unite as brothers and sisters to face tough times.”
Writing poetry definitely comes easy to him but penning down an item number was rather difficult. “It becomes little difficult when producers ask you to write an item number as that is what is needed in most films,” he laughed.
His experiences in different fields help him compile his verses, he said. “The more you experience, the more wealth of thoughts and words you have to share. My experiences as a lawyer and politician are an inspiration to me as a writer. I have seen all kinds of politics, there are three pillars on which the state stands — judiciary, which is the legal system, executive, which is the government, and legislature, which is the Parliament.
I have been in all three in almost equal measures. My roles in different fields have helped gain this wealth of experience. If I see a woman holding a child in her arms with her eyes reflecting her worries for her child, that moves me. When I see a child playing on streets without bothering about what’s going around him, that moves me. So I have had an enriching experience,” he said.
Sibal has a collection of singles by different composers that is not yet in public domain. He plans to release them in an album soon, “if time allows.” He is also planning to come up with an anthology of Hindi poems.
photo Pankaj Kumar