Born in Indore, the cultural hub of Madhya Pradesh, Swanand Kirkire tasted success at an early age. As a door-to-door salesman for vacuum cleaners, he could only have dreamt of winning two National Awards. Recently, he won his first Screen Award for the song Manjhaa from Kai Po Che.
The songs he penned for this week’s release Shaadi Ke Side Effects are already creating the right kind of music. “This film is an interesting project because I had seen the previous instalment, Pyar Ke Side Effects, and loved it. So when I was given the script for this one, I was happy to join in. Plus, it was my first film with Farhan Akhtar and Vidya Balan is an old friend, so the experience was worth it,” he says, adding, this is a feel-good film that’ll connect well with the young audience.
Writing songs aside, the National School of Drama graduate—the first from his hometown to make it to the prestigious institution—will also be seen delivering dialogues onscreen in films like Rohan Sippy’s Sonali Cable, Abhishek Kapoor’s Fitoor and Ghoomketu with Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Ila Arun. “I was seen as an actor last year in Vivek Agnihotri’s Freedom. Now I am exploring my acting prowess further, a creative opportunity that will help me grow as an artiste,” says the 42-year-old.
Talking about his childhood, Kirkire says, “I was born in a house filled with musicians. My parents were singers, though not professional, but always encouraged me to take it up as a hobby as well. Also, my uncle did professional theatre. So there was always a creative environment in the house and that perhaps led me to explore my talents as a director and writer,” he says.
Soon after completing his graduation from Indore, Kirkire shifted base to Delhi and was selected for a course in direction at NSD. “I produced a play on Bhagat Singh and was spotted by Manju Singh, a television producer, who hired me as a writer for her Doordarshan project on the same. So in 1999, I shifted to Mumbai with this job and continued for a year,” he says.
Kirkire spent the next two years struggling. “I spent my time exploring the city and doing small stints in television, but this medium never appealed to me much. I could never end my story. I was later introduced to filmmaker Pankaj Parashar, who in turn, introduced him to director Sudhir Mishra. He was doing a TV programme called Talash, with his assistant Ruchi Narain. I started assisting Sudhir while he was making Calcutta Mail and then it continued with Chameli and Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi,” he says. During this time, Mishra noticed Kirkire’s singing ability and gave him an opportunity to sing one of his own creations, Banwra Mann, for Hazaaron Khwahishein. “I remember singing my creation for the unit for fun, but then Sudhir asked me if he could use it for his film and if I could sing it for him,” he says.
His journey into mainstream film industry has today made him one of the most successful lyricists, having written songs for Parineeta, Lage Raho Munna Bhai, 3 Idiots, Rajneeti, Peepli Live, Singham, English Vinglish, Ferrari Ki Sewari, Kai Po Che and Bombay Talkies among others.
Single and happy, Kirkire says there is a lot more to life than settling down. “There is no partner for me right now. I am working and loving my job and looking forward to another eventful year.”