Lyricist Swanand Kirkire gives an insight into how writers have to always keep themselves updated. Also, he feels not enough is being made focusing on Indian literature.
National Film Award-winning lyricist, Swanand Kirkire has been one of the most prominent writers of film songs in the past decade or two. He has been coming up with some of the most poignant words which have touched the hearts of the listeners and they continue to be heartfelt even after 5-10 years of them being written.
There has to be a lot of keeping up with the new age lingo so as to write lyrics that are relevant even after a decade. Even great lyricists like Javed Akhtar and Gulzar have also used new-age lingo to make their songs appeal to every age group.
“I don’t think in that way because if I keep myself updated, the lingo will come automatically. I don’t just think about what the youngsters are talking about because if you be with the youngsters, you will automatically know what they are talking about. You get to know what they are reading and what their mindsets are. I feel that times are changing and things keep on changing and all you have to do is keep an eye on that and it will automatically reflect on your work. Film songs always require that you keep yourself updated because if you don’t you may not be able to catch up with the current generation,” says Kirkire.
But in order to keep up with the changing times, one must have to read a lot of literature always. “Yes, of course, I do (read a lot) because that is the need of my profession. I have to keep myself updated because I feel that if something that I am doing is relevant that means that I am doing something good. So, I try my best to keep myself updated. I think reading only enriches your art in one way or the other because more input means more output,” adds Kirkire.
Speaking about whether literature is influencing or impacting today’s youth, Kirkire says, “I feel that we are not making enough films focusing on our literary works and that is for sure. The director who is well versed with literature makes films but they are not enough.”
But is pain necessary to come up with the best of creative work? It has been a common thought among all creative people, and even filmmaker Imtiaz Ali represented the same thought in his much popular film ‘Rockstar’. From his personal experience on this matter, Kirkire says, “Pain is a part of life. Everyone has some sort of pain in their lives. It is more about how sensitive you are towards your pain and others' pain. The sensitivity towards pain, life, suffering, happiness, and beauty is very important. It is not only about pain. If you have that sensitivity towards the pain of others and you can express it with your words, then you can become a writer because if it was only about having pain in your life then everyone would have become a writer as pain breaks everyone’s heart but it is about the desire to express what you have felt or seen. So, I think that sensitivity is more important than pain.”