BHUBANESWAR: Actors are famous for fooling people. They have time for everything but they pretend to be extremely busy, said actor-writer Piyush Mishra. Speaking in the session ‘Guftagoo with Piyush Mishra’ that was chaired by Hinglish witer Divya Prakash Dubey, Mishra delighted the audience with his brutally honest observations and ‘shayari’. Donning a beret cap and a sweatshirt, he was at his wittiest best.
Recalling an incident four years back when he went to Mishra with the script of a small budget short film, Dubey said Mishra charged him just `11 and one day of liquor for doing the film. “The `11 is still pending,” Dubey said with a smile and added that people like Mishra instil hope in newcomers, who come to Mumbai every year to try their luck in the Hindi film industry.
Speaking about his inspiration on writing, the actor said he is his own inspiration. “I was an alcoholic, but I could never write a single line in an inebriated condition. Anyone who says that he draws inspiration from women, alcohol or drugs, speaks nonsense. Inspiration comes from within. Breaking into a song ‘Hun Yaara, Maula’ from ‘Gulaal’, the 2009 political-drama in which he acted and wrote lyrics, he said the song symbolises the modern-day society and country.
Mishra, who is also known for his compositions in films like ‘Black Friday’ and ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’, recited a few verses from poems in his recently released book, Kuch Ishq Kiya Kuch Kaam Kiya, an anthology of poems on love, work and restiveness written over a period of 20 years. Confessing his admiration for legendary Urdu poet Faiz Ahmed, Mishra said the title of his book is from a ‘nazm’ of Faiz. The venue resounded with clapping when he resorted to reciting one of his funny pieces based on ‘one night stands’ from the book.
To a query on how he comes up with beautiful lyrics, he said he does not try hard for anything. “It just happens. I have written lyrics and poems in a very short span of time. It happens on its own and there is no underlying methodology.” Taking requests from the audience, Mishra also sang his famous numbers ‘Ik Bagal Main Chaand Hoga’ (Gangs of Wasseypur) and ‘Aarambh Hai Prachand’ (Gulaal).
Reciting verses from one of his poems ‘Mulk Ki Leli Bhaiya - Part 3’, the actor said he finds the current socio-political scene funny. While the last Prime Minister (PM) never spoke, the present PM cannot be stopped from speaking, he said, while reading out the verses, “Woh kaam bhala kya kaam hua jisme ho sansad ki rangraliyan, woh ishq bhala kya ishq hua jo range Godhra ki galiyan.”
Mishra is currently penning a fictional novel in Hindi ‘Hamlet Kabhi Bombay Nahi Gaya’ which is likely to be published within two years. “It is about the story of a Gwalior-born actor who goes to Delhi and then Mumbai,” he said.