‘Papa Meri Jaan’ Song Writer Raj Shekhar’s Transition From Asst. Director To Lyricist
Lyricist Raj Shekhar, renowned for his work in Animal starring Ranbir Kapoor, discusses the challenges behind the popular song 'Papa Meri Jaan' in a candid chat with Lehren. He also shares insights into his transition from assistant director to successful lyricist.
Transcript
00:00 I have been a big fan of Ranveer Kapoor.
00:03 I really like his work.
00:06 I met Sandeep sir and I found him to be a very humble and dedicated person.
00:24 Sometimes you get into situations where you don't like it.
00:30 I am not that kind of a person.
00:32 I have found what I have been destined for.
00:35 I have forgotten what I have lost.
00:38 Hello, I am Rehan Hussain and you are watching Lehren.
00:47 Whenever a film is successful, it is often the lead actor or producer or director who comes forward.
00:53 But very few people who work behind the scenes are those who come to the limelight in today's social media.
01:00 But after the success of the film Animal, there are some faces who have come forward.
01:06 Like Saloni Batra came forward as Animal's sister.
01:10 Similarly, Raj Shekhar ji has also come forward as Animal's singer.
01:16 And now Raj Shekhar ji is not in need of any recognition.
01:20 Although Raj Shekhar has spent more than a decade working in this industry.
01:25 But the fame he has now got is the result of his previous hard work.
01:31 Raj Shekhar ji, welcome.
01:33 Thank you very much, sir.
01:35 Since you started with the songs of Animal, how was this journey and how did you get the offer for this film?
01:44 It was a very good journey.
01:46 I got so much love from people.
01:50 It's been so many months since the film has been released.
01:54 But the song is still number one on the charts.
01:57 So I am very thankful to everyone.
02:02 I am thankful to my director, Sandeep Reddy Vanga ji.
02:07 And the rest of the team, Bhushan ji, Vishal, Harshvardhan, everyone.
02:19 Sir, in the age of social media, some things go viral immediately.
02:25 Like I took the name of Deepti Dimri or Sanoli Batra ji,
02:29 who was in the role of their sister or girlfriend.
02:35 How do you see this trend?
02:39 It comes in limelight quickly.
02:41 It becomes viral.
02:44 It's a good thing.
02:47 Whether you take the name of Saloni, Anshul or Deepti,
02:56 definitely everyone has been here for a long time.
03:01 We think it's a day's work, but there is years of practice behind it.
03:07 They have prepared themselves.
03:10 When the time comes, when they say action,
03:15 and when they can do their magic in between that action and cut,
03:19 there is a need for preparation.
03:21 So it may seem like a day or a matter of hurry,
03:25 but there is a whole effort behind it.
03:28 It's a hard work of years.
03:31 So I think it's a good thing if people are getting fame from a film.
03:39 Sir, if we talk about this film,
03:42 there were many controversies regarding the subject of the film.
03:45 And the way it was shown, especially towards women,
03:48 but the good thing that came out was the faces like yours.
03:52 Among these controversies, the lyrics of your song,
03:55 "Papa Meri Jaan" and "Marham", which you have written,
03:59 and "Pehle Bhi Main",
04:01 all three songs were loved by many people.
04:04 So how did you work with these songs?
04:08 How did you get the film offer? Tell us a little about it.
04:11 I got the film offer because I was very appreciative of Ranbir Kapoor.
04:20 I like his work very much.
04:23 The music director of this film, Vishal Mishra,
04:26 I have collaborated with Vishal many times before.
04:32 Vishal had worked with Kabir Singh before this,
04:37 with Sir Leep Sir.
04:39 He knew that I wanted to do something with RK.
04:46 So when he came to the situation, he said,
04:51 "Meet Sandeep Sir".
04:53 I met Sandeep Sir and this way,
04:56 we had a very good conversation for the first time.
05:01 He was very clear.
05:03 The way he is perceived outside,
05:09 my personal experience is very different from him.
05:15 He is a very humble and dedicated person.
05:22 He knows what he wants.
05:25 Yet, he gives a lot of freedom as a co-worker, as a colleague.
05:40 He lets me explore what should be done at this time.
05:45 If you talk about the first film,
05:49 the first film is a song of an intimate moment.
05:56 There could have been a quote-unquote item number,
06:05 or something else, or something cheap.
06:10 But you will see that in the first film,
06:13 or in Marham, there is no such thing.
06:17 There is no repetition of the words on the screen.
06:24 - Maybe that's why it is so popular.
06:26 - Maybe.
06:28 And the second thing is that I feel that a song has its own power,
06:33 but where does a director place it?
06:36 In his eyes, in the eyes of a producer, where is the song?
06:40 How is he placing it? How is he shooting it?
06:44 And what does he want from it?
06:47 Sandeep Sir had told me earlier that
06:50 I don't want any cheap thrill from it.
06:54 He is lying for that moment, but there is truth in his lies.
07:06 - In the work of a songwriter,
07:10 what is the role of the film's producer or director?
07:13 Is there an intervention or is there an interaction from the beginning
07:17 that we need this kind of thing?
07:19 Or does the songwriter, according to the situation,
07:23 place his words in the form of a song
07:25 and take it to the producer or director,
07:27 and then it is approved.
07:30 - Look, one thing is interference,
07:35 and another thing is collaboration.
07:39 Interference is often a disturbing thing.
07:44 You interfere when you go beyond that and look at yourself,
07:50 and then you interfere.
07:53 How is collaboration when you are doing something together?
07:57 Collaboration is a very beautiful thing.
08:00 If I think about it, a director or producer
08:04 who has been thinking about the film,
08:07 the characters, the situations,
08:10 what to bring next,
08:13 definitely he is more clear.
08:16 So there, I and the director or producer or music director,
08:26 if they work in collaboration,
08:29 then a wonderful thing comes out many times.
08:32 But many times it happens that people say,
08:35 "No, this is not working, it has no meaning."
08:38 But they just say from the outside, "Remove this, remove that."
08:41 Because it is your work, somebody is paying you.
08:44 You say once or twice, "Look at it this way, understand it that way."
08:48 But ultimately, it is their product.
08:52 So you do it many times anyway.
08:55 It is not that much fun.
08:57 But in collaboration,
09:00 I believe that we are making a film,
09:04 what will the audience like,
09:11 how the whole story is being thought,
09:14 this is in the mind of the director.
09:17 In the earlier days, a film was announced
09:20 and a singer or musician was signed.
09:23 And the whole film was done by the same singer or musician.
09:26 But in today's era,
09:28 in a film, there are many singers, many musicians,
09:31 many singers, so how do you see this changing trend?
09:37 In the earlier days, many times it used to happen
09:41 that in a film, Shailendra and Hasrat were also writing.
09:48 It used to be a pair.
09:51 Absolutely.
09:53 I would say that in this,
09:57 most of the films that have come to me,
10:00 whether it is Tanu It's Manu,
10:02 or Meenakshi Sundareshwar,
10:04 or Tumbad,
10:07 or Tanu It's Manu Returns,
10:09 or Saand Ki Aankh,
10:11 in most of the films,
10:13 I worked as a solo lyricist,
10:17 as a solo composer.
10:19 Sometimes in between,
10:25 like a film came, Kareeb Kareeb Singal,
10:27 by Irfan Saab,
10:29 that film was almost ready,
10:33 no, the film was not ready,
10:35 the rest of the songs were ready,
10:37 and then Irfan Saab called me,
10:39 we were doing something else with Irfan Saab,
10:42 he said Raj, we need two songs on this as well.
10:45 I think to each his own.
10:49 Some directors,
10:51 maybe,
10:55 in comparison to one person,
11:00 with four people,
11:02 you said collaboration is most important.
11:04 Yes, many times it seems that
11:06 if the collaboration is right,
11:09 but see,
11:11 if we see it from that perspective,
11:14 for one person,
11:16 it is very important to be one.
11:18 And in this situation,
11:20 I would say that Sandeep Sir,
11:22 was very clear about what he wanted.
11:24 And Bhushan Ji,
11:29 who is said to have been with him,
11:33 that it is right,
11:35 when he himself has seen music
11:37 from so close,
11:39 he had so much trust in that team,
11:43 that it was a wonderful thing.
11:45 If I talk about your initial period,
11:49 you started as an assistant director,
11:52 you did 'Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na' with Abbas Tyarwala Ji,
11:56 with Sujay Ghosh,
11:58 and then you worked with Anand Laroie Ji.
12:01 So, did this change suddenly,
12:04 that you as an assistant,
12:06 as a singer,
12:08 or where was the turning point
12:10 that you came to the field of writing?
12:13 Did the poet inside you come out,
12:16 that you started writing songs?
12:18 In the initial days,
12:21 after working on 'Sujay Da'
12:23 or 'Jaane Tu',
12:25 I had gone to Mumbai.
12:27 I was not liking the city of Mumbai.
12:30 All my friends were here,
12:33 but I was not in the mood
12:35 to stay here.
12:37 Then in 2008,
12:40 I decided to stay here.
12:44 So, I was assisting Anand Ji.
12:48 Actually,
12:50 after becoming a lyricist,
12:52 I had two people's help.
12:54 One is Anand Ji,
12:56 Anand Laroie,
12:57 and the other is Manshu Sharma,
12:59 who is a writer.
13:00 I used to write poems,
13:04 and I used to write in the 'Chand',
13:07 and I used to write in 'Chand Mukt'.
13:09 But these people said,
13:11 that you write such good poems,
13:13 why are you not doing that,
13:15 that you were working on the story of 'Tabhi Tanu Ers Manu'
13:19 and other things were done.
13:23 They said,
13:24 that you write dummy lyrics.
13:26 I said, okay.
13:28 I was not enjoying the work
13:30 of an assistant director.
13:32 I said, okay, let's try.
13:34 So, in 'Tanu Ers Manu',
13:36 you started as an assistant,
13:38 and in the middle...
13:39 Yes, yes, yes.
13:40 I was working as an assistant director
13:42 in 'Tanu Ers Manu',
13:44 and I was helping them in casting.
13:47 Then, in the middle,
13:50 they said, write.
13:52 So, I started writing.
13:54 So, the first song was 'Rang Rej Mere'
13:56 and I wrote 'Manu Bhaiya Ka Kar Ye'.
13:59 Earlier, I was told to write dummy lyrics.
14:03 So, they said,
14:04 that these are not dummies,
14:06 these are original.
14:07 So, that happened.
14:09 After that,
14:10 'Kitne Dafay Dil Ne Kaha'
14:11 or 'Piya Na Re Manu'.
14:12 And in this way,
14:13 the album was completed.
14:16 Okay, the audience wants to know,
14:18 that when a singer gets an offer
14:20 from a film company,
14:22 is it for one or two songs?
14:24 Or is it told,
14:25 that this is a film,
14:26 this is the story,
14:27 you have to write songs.
14:29 So, who decides,
14:31 that you are deciding
14:32 from two songs or someone else,
14:34 that someone else is writing two songs
14:36 or someone else is writing one song.
14:38 How is the final decision made?
14:41 It depends.
14:42 Like, with RnG,
14:44 RnG needs lyrics the most.
14:49 That's why,
14:51 the songs of Tanuweers Manu
14:53 and Tanuweers Manu Returns,
14:55 they are written first.
14:57 After that,
14:58 the songs are composed.
15:00 So, after that,
15:04 sometimes it happens,
15:08 that the song is composed first,
15:12 and then you do this.
15:14 So, it depends.
15:15 Both things happen.
15:16 In a film,
15:19 like, Pehle Bhi Main,
15:21 the song is composed first.
15:23 Or, Papa Mere Jaan,
15:25 the song is composed first.
15:27 Sometimes, it happens,
15:29 that some parts,
15:30 like, last year,
15:31 I had sung a song,
15:32 of Miss Match,
15:33 Aise Kyon,
15:34 people loved it a lot.
15:36 It is a song in the voice of Rekha Bhardwaj.
15:39 Anurag Saikia has done the music for it.
15:42 So, for that,
15:44 first, I would say,
15:48 some parts were composed,
15:52 then I wrote some parts first,
15:54 and then it was composed.
15:58 So, like this.
15:59 - In some films,
16:00 you have done,
16:01 like, the titles of the films
16:03 are very catchy,
16:04 like Tanuweers Manu,
16:06 or, Karib Karib Singal,
16:08 or, other films you have done.
16:10 But, there are 2-3-4 films,
16:12 whose titles are also very strange.
16:14 Like, Bambhaad, or Tumbhaad,
16:16 or, Khali Bali,
16:17 or, Saan Ki Aankh.
16:18 I mean, the titles are very strange.
16:20 - This is very,
16:22 this question,
16:24 I have never been asked,
16:26 till date.
16:27 But, it is a very good observation.
16:30 Many times, the titles,
16:31 - If a person gets scared,
16:32 just by hearing the titles,
16:33 how will he write the song,
16:34 according to that?
16:35 - Bambhaad, Ranjan Chandel,
16:39 when they brought this film to us,
16:43 we said,
16:44 this name is a little,
16:46 we tried a lot,
16:48 that the name should change,
16:50 but, the name,
16:51 there was no change in it.
16:53 Tumbhaad,
16:55 already,
16:57 their name was there,
16:58 it is a place,
16:59 and, the film has a very integral part.
17:02 In fact, in that,
17:03 now, think,
17:04 I have to write a song
17:05 on a word like Tumbhaad.
17:07 Title track,
17:09 that, "Aao Na Tumbhaad Jogna,
17:11 Aare Jao Na Tumbhaad Bhogna"
17:14 - What is the meaning of this?
17:15 Tell me the meaning.
17:16 - It is a place,
17:17 but, the symbol,
17:19 the fort there,
17:21 - What is its name?
17:22 - Now,
17:23 in that,
17:24 there is gold,
17:26 but,
17:27 along with that,
17:28 it is also a curse,
17:29 that place.
17:30 So, "Aao Na Tumbhaad Bhogna",
17:32 that gold,
17:33 that gold,
17:34 that wealth,
17:35 that is to be enjoyed.
17:36 "Aare Jao Na Tumbhaad Bhogna,
17:40 Aare Aao Na Tumbhaad Jogna"
17:43 That, this treasure,
17:45 all this,
17:46 has to be kept safe.
17:48 That too,
17:50 "Pag Pag Lage Kaan,
17:52 Bhed Bhaan,
17:53 Dhak Dhakai Jiya,
17:54 Tam Tam Yam Samaan,
17:55 Kaam Pe Praan,
17:56 Haak Bhakaai Hiya,
17:57 Aare Jao Na Tumbhaad Jogna,
17:59 Aare Aao Na Tumbhaad Bhogna"
18:02 So,
18:04 many times,
18:06 while writing,
18:07 that thing helps you,
18:09 in that way.
18:10 One,
18:11 and,
18:12 "Sand Ki Aankh",
18:13 "Sand Ki Aankh",
18:15 we say in English,
18:17 what is it,
18:18 "Bulsa Hai",
18:19 that is about the marksmen,
18:21 so, "Bulsa Hai" was hit.
18:22 So, like this,
18:23 we make songs in jest,
18:25 and,
18:26 the "Dadiya"
18:27 that is there,
18:28 in the film,
18:29 there is a dialogue,
18:30 that,
18:31 "Yeh Bulsa Hai Ki Ho Vahai"
18:32 So, she says,
18:33 "Bulsa Hai Dadi,
18:35 Woh Sand Ki Aankh Ho Vahai"
18:37 So,
18:38 "Thaare Sand Ki Aankh
18:40 Mein Goli Maar Ni Hai"
18:42 So, in the mind of a singer,
18:44 are there titles of films,
18:45 or are they written in that direction,
18:46 keeping that in mind,
18:47 and songs are written,
18:48 that,
18:49 sometimes when the title track comes,
18:51 "Sand Ki Aankh"
18:52 was written earlier,
18:54 so,
18:55 the name was being thought,
18:56 what should be there,
18:57 so,
18:58 then,
18:59 the director,
19:00 Tushar Hirandan,
19:01 is feeling good,
19:02 in that way.
19:03 This is it.
19:04 What other name did you take?
19:06 "Khali Pili"
19:07 "Khali Pili"
19:08 "Khali Pili"
19:09 "Khali Pili"
19:10 "Khali Pili"
19:11 "Khali Pili"
19:12 "Kali Pili Taxi"
19:13 by doing that,
19:14 I think,
19:15 that,
19:16 Ali Abbas,
19:17 Zafar,
19:18 and,
19:19 Makbul Khan,
19:20 those people,
19:21 had their mind in that.
19:22 Ok,
19:23 you had said in an interview,
19:25 that,
19:26 you find it very difficult to write songs,
19:28 as a poet,
19:29 as a poet,
19:30 the way you enjoy,
19:32 so,
19:33 why is it like that,
19:34 or what was the reason behind it?
19:36 If you see it,
19:37 in its entirety,
19:39 then,
19:40 my hope to say in that is,
19:43 that,
19:44 like,
19:45 many people ask,
19:47 that,
19:48 is it necessary to break the heart?
19:52 Is it necessary to fall in love?
19:55 So,
19:56 I say in that regard,
19:58 that,
19:59 it is my work.
20:00 A bank manager cannot say,
20:03 that,
20:04 I am not enjoying giving money to people.
20:07 It is your work.
20:09 A teacher cannot say,
20:10 that,
20:11 I,
20:12 I,
20:13 I,
20:14 I,
20:15 I mean,
20:16 a teacher can still say,
20:17 that,
20:18 I,
20:19 I will not teach this chapter in physics.
20:22 Because,
20:23 you are a physics teacher,
20:24 you have to teach.
20:25 Similarly,
20:26 writing songs for me,
20:27 is my work.
20:28 I have chosen it.
20:30 So,
20:31 I am saying in that context,
20:32 that,
20:33 sometimes,
20:34 there are situations,
20:35 in which,
20:36 it is not of your choice.
20:38 A situation of murder,
20:39 I am not such a person.
20:41 Is a singer's heart really broken?
20:43 So many good songs,
20:44 which he writes,
20:45 romantic or side songs.
20:46 Like,
20:47 Sahir,
20:48 about him,
20:49 it is said,
20:50 that,
20:51 his love for Amrita,
20:52 that,
20:53 that has come out.
20:54 So,
20:55 does something like this really happen,
20:56 that,
20:57 like Sahir,
20:58 or the other singers,
20:59 or you,
21:00 whenever you write such songs,
21:02 then,
21:03 in that situation,
21:04 you come and write,
21:05 then the words,
21:06 the words,
21:07 how do they come,
21:08 how do they come,
21:09 the story behind it.
21:10 You said,
21:11 that,
21:12 does a singer's heart really break?
21:14 I ask you one thing,
21:16 is a singer,
21:17 not a part of such a society?
21:19 He is not a human.
21:20 Yes,
21:21 definitely.
21:22 Sometimes,
21:23 we even increase things in our mind.
21:25 We,
21:26 we are people who tell stories.
21:28 The amount of things that happen,
21:30 sometimes,
21:31 we say more than that,
21:32 with more passion.
21:33 We,
21:34 in that,
21:35 mix black pepper,
21:37 some mix red pepper,
21:39 some mix something else,
21:42 some jaiphal,
21:43 some javitri,
21:44 some like this,
21:45 and things like this,
21:46 increase.
21:47 A person feels,
21:48 wow,
21:49 what a wonderful,
21:50 like,
21:51 we are also like that,
21:52 like,
21:53 someone else,
21:54 but yes,
21:55 I say one thing,
21:57 that,
21:58 a singer,
21:59 an artist,
22:00 a painter,
22:01 anyone,
22:02 he should have this empathy,
22:06 he should have the ability of being equal,
22:10 that,
22:11 at this time,
22:12 this character,
22:13 the era that he is going through,
22:15 what he must be feeling,
22:17 with this,
22:18 a proximity,
22:19 a closeness,
22:20 a feeling of being close,
22:23 that,
22:24 that gives him a better lyricist,
22:27 or gives him more strength to understand.
22:31 Now,
22:32 whose heart does not break,
22:34 whose heart does not get hurt,
22:36 we are also human beings.
22:38 But I say,
22:39 that heart,
22:40 this is not the first condition,
22:42 for a singer,
22:43 that heart should break,
22:44 the first condition is,
22:45 that you should write.
22:47 Sir,
22:48 as your ideal,
22:49 Nirala ji,
22:50 or Kabir ji,
22:51 or Amir Khusro,
22:52 you consider them your ideal,
22:54 but you are a lyricist,
22:56 in that sense,
22:57 the lyricists of the past,
22:59 whether it is Hasrat Jaipuri,
23:01 or Shailendra,
23:02 or the lyricists of today's era,
23:04 so these changes,
23:05 as a poet,
23:06 was it because of that,
23:08 that you consider these poets your ideal?
23:11 First of all,
23:12 I would say,
23:13 that I am very fortunate,
23:15 that I got the opportunity
23:17 to live in their company.
23:19 I was a literature student,
23:22 so,
23:23 apart from India,
23:26 I got the opportunity
23:28 to look at the world
23:30 of other writers,
23:32 as well as of the outside world.
23:35 Literature gives you the power
23:40 to see time and society
23:42 in a better way.
23:47 The people you have mentioned,
23:49 you have done a lot of research,
23:51 I am very happy about this.
23:53 Whether you said Nirala,
23:57 Khusro,
23:58 Kabir,
23:59 all of them had a rebellious attitude.
24:02 Kabir,
24:03 his...
24:05 - About the society.
24:07 - About the society,
24:09 and about the root of religion.
24:12 Nirala,
24:16 he...
24:17 The rebellion differs from
24:20 the poetry in Tuk,
24:22 the poetry in Atukant,
24:25 the poetry in Swachhand.
24:28 - Is it reflected in your songs?
24:35 - I don't know about this,
24:37 you will tell me.
24:39 But,
24:40 there are many other people,
24:42 in contemporary poets,
24:44 I would say that,
24:46 I like Prabhat,
24:48 Aluk Dhanwa,
24:50 and many other names.
24:53 I like the poems of
24:57 Neruda and Lorca.
24:59 When you talked about lyricists,
25:06 I would say that,
25:08 Shailendra,
25:11 Majrooh,
25:12 Sahir,
25:13 Raja Mehdi Ali Khan,
25:15 I can listen to many names,
25:18 I am just taking them as they are
25:21 on the tip of my tongue.
25:24 Gulzar Sahib,
25:25 Ahwed Sahib,
25:26 Bal Kabir Baira,
25:28 there are so many,
25:30 Shakeel,
25:31 and there is something special
25:34 about everyone,
25:36 Hasrat Sahib,
25:37 Kaifi Sahib,
25:38 and many others.
25:41 My favorite song,
25:43 if I say,
25:44 I had an interview
25:46 with All India Radio,
25:48 Yunus Bhai is there,
25:50 Yunus Khan,
25:51 so I had a conversation with Yunus Bhai,
25:54 so he said,
25:55 he got a call at 9 in the morning,
25:58 he said,
25:59 we will talk about your five favorite songs,
26:03 and I woke up,
26:05 I said,
26:06 I can sing the first song,
26:08 if he wakes up and asks,
26:10 I will sing that song,
26:13 but it is difficult to choose five songs,
26:18 so he said,
26:19 tell me the first one,
26:21 and how do you like it,
26:23 I said,
26:24 when I will leave this world,
26:26 and I will be asked,
26:27 which song do you want to hear,
26:29 I will sing that song,
26:32 that song is,
26:33 Mamta film,
26:35 Majnu Sahib's,
26:37 Chhopa Lui Hun,
26:38 Dil Mein Pyaar Mera,
26:40 Ki Jaise Mandir Mein Lauti Ek,
26:42 so I said,
26:44 wow,
26:45 and then other songs,
26:47 so,
26:48 listening to these people,
26:51 actually when I was young,
26:54 I used to live in a village in Bihar,
26:56 and we did not have television,
26:58 means there was no electricity in the village,
27:00 no television,
27:01 so we were raised on radio,
27:04 all the radio channels,
27:08 what will happen on shortwave,
27:10 what will happen on meter wave,
27:12 where,
27:13 so this was before FM,
27:17 we had to put on Ceylon,
27:19 now we have to put on Radio Afghanistan,
27:21 now we have to put on Radio Beijing,
27:22 now we have to put on Voice of America,
27:24 now we have to put on Deutsche Welle,
27:25 so we had all the memories,
27:27 that when and where the song will come,
27:29 so you said that you are from Bihar,
27:32 but still you are writing songs for Hindi films,
27:35 if we talk about Bhojpuri films,
27:37 so often the accusation is that,
27:39 the songs are very vulgar,
27:41 or the story or the storybook,
27:43 the accusation is that it is not right,
27:46 or they copy Bollywood things,
27:48 and present it in front of the audience,
27:50 so,
27:51 this is the view of Bhojpuri films,
27:53 or this is the accusation,
27:54 how do you see it,
27:55 if you get a chance,
27:57 would you like to write songs for Bhojpuri films?
27:59 My mother tongue is not Bhojpuri,
28:03 although I am from Bihar,
28:05 but I can understand Bhojpuri,
28:07 I can speak a little,
28:10 I mean very basic,
28:12 I mean,
28:14 if you talk to me in Bhojpuri,
28:17 I will get stuck after two lines,
28:19 we call it Maithili at home,
28:23 so,
28:25 if I have to write in Maithili,
28:27 can I write,
28:29 may be difficult,
28:31 because there is a different relation with that language,
28:34 that is not a business language for me,
28:39 that is the language of our own,
28:41 I can write a film,
28:44 I don't know about songs,
28:46 I feel that,
28:48 many people ask me,
28:50 why don't you write in Maithili,
28:52 it is very difficult for me,
28:54 I will not be able to bring objectivity in it,
28:56 here I can see it from a distance,
28:59 it is so personal,
29:01 that I may not be able to bring objectivity in it,
29:04 may be that is why I don't write.
29:06 Sir, till date,
29:07 whatever songs you have written,
29:09 which is the most difficult song,
29:11 if you are asked to choose,
29:13 to write this song,
29:15 whether it is to choose the words,
29:17 or any other,
29:19 which is the most difficult song?
29:21 Difficult,
29:23 I would say,
29:25 the title track of Tumbaad,
29:33 that was a very difficult song,
29:35 because in that,
29:37 the language of that,
29:41 we chose a very different language,
29:45 the song Papa Meri Jaan,
29:51 this is also difficult but interesting,
29:53 because,
29:57 in a way,
29:59 the tune of the film,
30:01 is somewhere in this song,
30:03 this song comes twice,
30:07 the tune comes many times,
30:09 it comes once in childhood,
30:11 when Ranbir is a child,
30:13 then it comes in the end,
30:17 for me,
30:19 that innocence of childhood,
30:21 and later,
30:25 a son who can
30:27 take things on his shoulders,
30:29 the condition of
30:31 carrying both of them
30:33 together,
30:35 and that condition,
30:37 no one gave me,
30:39 that this is the thing,
30:41 this is the promise,
30:43 you take it yourself,
30:45 that I can maintain that innocence,
30:47 and later,
30:49 when he comes,
30:51 like an angry young man,
30:53 even then,
30:55 in his senses,
30:59 because this song is
31:01 a very personal song,
31:03 a conversation with oneself,
31:05 he is saying to his father,
31:07 this song is not of a crowd,
31:09 this song is of a father and son,
31:11 when they are in a room,
31:13 when one has the other's hand,
31:15 this song is of that time,
31:17 this song is of hope,
31:19 along with this,
31:21 this song is of disappointment,
31:23 this song is of love,
31:25 this song is of anger,
31:27 so how to take all these things
31:29 together,
31:31 that was a difficult
31:33 but fun work.
31:35 -Holi is coming,
31:37 it is the season of Holi,
31:39 all the songs are being shot,
31:41 if you have any memories about Holi,
31:43 which song do you like the most?
31:45 If you get a chance,
31:47 would you like to write a song?
31:49 -Holi Aayi Re Kanhai,
31:51 Rang Chhalke, Suna De Jara Bansuri,
31:53 I like this a lot,
31:55 and
31:57 I think that
31:59 about Holi,
32:01 all my friends
32:03 know,
32:05 I was in Delhi University,
32:07 it was my first year,
32:09 and for the first time in my life,
32:11 I came to my friends' house
32:13 and had a drink,
32:15 and after that,
32:17 the 7 days incident,
32:19 what happened,
32:21 I mean,
32:23 this can't be made into a film,
32:25 this whole incident is so hilarious,
32:27 that we went,
32:29 and then
32:31 there was a tradition
32:33 that we played
32:35 Rang Bhang,
32:37 and I didn't know anything,
32:39 I had heard in songs
32:41 that there is Rang Bhang,
32:43 I had never heard it in my life,
32:45 and what I did in that,
32:47 I
32:49 used to take out the Rang Bhang
32:51 from the bottom of a tub,
32:53 because it had cashews, raisins,
32:55 almonds, everything,
32:57 and it was looking green,
32:59 I didn't know that
33:01 there is so much Rang Bhang in it,
33:03 so I drank it,
33:05 and I saw after drinking it,
33:07 I didn't get intoxicated,
33:09 so I drank 5-6 glasses,
33:11 and after that,
33:13 the condition I was in for 6 days,
33:15 I mean,
33:17 I did so many things,
33:19 it took me 1.5-2 hours
33:21 to walk from one staircase
33:23 to another.
33:25 - So, what message would you like to give
33:27 to the people who play Holi?
33:29 - First of all, I will definitely say
33:31 that brother,
33:33 but on a serious note,
33:35 those people who want to play Holi with you,
33:37 you should not force them to play Holi.
33:39 One,
33:41 those who do
33:43 mobile oil,
33:45 or wrestling,
33:47 those who do such things,
33:49 don't do that.
33:51 People start throwing balloons
33:53 before Holi,
33:55 and all this doesn't look good.
33:57 I will say that
33:59 now it is very important to eat well.
34:01 And Holi,
34:03 I used to see one thing,
34:05 that day,
34:07 all the
34:09 differences,
34:11 some knots,
34:13 that day to open the knot,
34:15 so that day,
34:17 you say sorry to someone,
34:21 or you say sorry to someone,
34:23 it's okay,
34:25 things happen.
34:27 So, on a positive note,
34:29 open your old knots,
34:31 and say sorry to them.
34:33 - Before leaving, I would like to know
34:35 that the journey that you have had till now,
34:37 is there any regret
34:39 that you have
34:41 lost or gained in the last 10-12 years?
34:43 Or is there any
34:45 regret of a film's rejection
34:47 that if you had got the songs of this film?
34:49 - Whatever I got,
34:53 I considered it as destiny.
34:55 Whatever I lost,
34:57 I kept forgetting it.
34:59 See, this line,
35:01 it is like the line in Gita.
35:03 It seems like
35:05 it is the essence of Gita.
35:07 Whatever I got,
35:09 I considered it as destiny.
35:11 Whatever I lost, I kept forgetting it.
35:13 - Before leaving,
35:15 tell us about some of your
35:17 upcoming projects.
35:19 What are you doing?
35:21 In which projects,
35:23 can we see your songs?
35:25 - Miss Mass 3,
35:27 which is a web series,
35:29 I wrote in both 1 and 2.
35:31 Both got a lot of love.
35:33 Then came Haseen Dilruba.
35:37 Now, hopefully,
35:41 the crew is also
35:43 coming.
35:45 - This is an important project.
35:47 - There are 3-4 more things
35:49 which I will not be able to reveal now.
35:51 - Please give a message to the viewers.
35:55 - Love, long live.
35:57 - Or if you could sing a line,
36:03 which is your favorite?
36:05 - My favorite...
36:07 There was a song of ours,
36:11 the first film was Tanu Vets Manu.
36:13 It was in that.
36:17 How many times did the heart say,
36:19 how many times did the heart listen.
36:21 I have found you
36:23 in your name also,
36:25 my happiness.
36:27 If you say yes,
36:29 it will be different.
36:31 To keep the heart,
36:33 from top to top,
36:35 say yes.
36:37 Say yes, like this.
36:39 How many times did the heart say.
36:41 - Thank you very much for talking to us.
36:45 This was Raj Shekhar.
36:47 With cameraman Khalid, Rehan Hussain.
36:49 Lehren, Mumbai.
36:51 [Music]
36:53 [Music]