For more than two decades, poet and lyricist Irshad Kamil has given words to feelings in Hindi cinema. He has captured the mind’s restlessness in ‘Bhaage Re Mann’ (Chameli), drowned listeners in the bliss of falling in love with ‘Tum Se Hi’ (Jab We Met), given us soul-stirring qawwali in ‘Kun Faya Kun’ (Rockstar), set the spirit free with ‘Patakha Guddi’ (Highway) and written about intense heartbreak with ‘Bekhayali’ ( Kabir Singh)... the list is long, but Kamil is never short of words. The 53-year-old lyricist has written the album for the recent release Chhaava.
Directed by Laxman Utekar, the period-drama features Vicky Kaushal and Rashmika Mandanna in key roles essaying the role of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj (son of Shivaji) and Yesubai Bhonsale. The film is based on the eponymous Marathi novel by Shivaji Sawant. It follows events after the demise of Shivaji when the Mughals headed by Aurangzeb planned to crush the Maratha empire. The film features seven songs — love ballads ‘Jaane Tu’, and ‘Teri Chaahat’, high-energy songs ‘Aaya Re Toofan’, ‘The Roar’, and ‘Rudra’, sentimental climax song ‘Zinda Rahey’, and an intense track ‘The Crown’. TMS catches up with Kamil on the songs, some of which have garnered 50 million plus views on YouTube!
The inspiration
‘Jaane Tu’, the most popular melody from the album, shows the bond between Sambhaji and Yesubai. Says Kamil: “Utekar briefed me to express a bond ‘Jahan bina kahe ek doosrey ki baat samajh aa jaye’ (where you understand each other without speaking). I’ve tried to connect the last stanza to the last scene of the film, giving a sense of foreshadowing through my lyrics. I also wanted to speak in the emotional dialect of contemporary times. ‘Kya dard hai/ Kya chot hai/ Tere khayal mein hun/ Mujhko na hosh hai’. These lines express a historical hero’s emotion when he is captured.”
‘Zinda Rahey’ ends the film on a highly emotional note. The song portrays torture faced by Sambhaji and an impending end of the Mughal reign. “When I heard singer Hiral Viradia deliver a bold and highly emotional rendering of the song, I was almost in tears. Earlier the movie was ending with dialogues but after ‘Zinda Rahey’, the director decided that nothing is required after this huge statement,” says Kamil.
Staying relevant
After working in Delhi Doordarshan, Punjab-born Kamil moved to Mumbai to pursue his dreams in the entertainment industry. With every decade passing, the lyricist has given gems to Hindi cinema even as he has observed notable changes in lyrics. “In the 2000s, the audience was saying g o o d b y e t o phrases like Sanam, Jaana, Pyar, Ikraar, Dil and Jigar. In the 2010s, they were drawn towards revolutionary ideas, and a sense of realism in lyrics. From 2020 onwards, independent music became popular,” he says.
From 2020 onwards he has action-films Tiger 3, Jawan, and biopics like Amar Singh Chamkila in his kitty. As society evolves, how is he able to tap into the audience? “I started my innings around 2005 and there have been many changes—behavioural and style of music making. Even the way we express ourselves has changed. I always aim to connect with the truthfulness of emotions. I cannot contrive and fake emotions. My lyrics and poetry are extensions of the responsibility I feel towards my work , ” he says.