From politics to lyrics on politics

Master of many trades

A successful politician with many achievements to his credit, former union minister Kapil Sibal has now turned lyricist with Jimmy Sheirgill-starrer political drama, Shorgul. In an email interview with Metrolife, he shares the experience of writing lyrics for a Hindi film, and tells Shweta Sharma that he looks forward to exploring more as a lyricist.

Extracts:
What about Shorgul interested you enough to pen lyrics for it?

Shorgul is a political drama that brings out real life relatable issues with a contemporary twist. The script is gripping and it throws light on various subjects of today. It highlights the misuse of religion and brushes upon various stereotypical ideologies that are detrimental to our society and nation. Overall, it has a strong message and anyone who sees this film is definitely going to get up, think, and question, and take a stand. With such a wondrous political drama, I immediately connected with the subject and decided to write lyrics for it. With its release on June 24, I’m sure it is going to create a lot of conversation.

How was the experience of penning the lyrics?
I’ve always been writing poetry in English, and also have two books published with my works. However, film remains a medium which has the highest outreach. The advantage of writing in Hindi is that the language is so beautiful and there are some expressions which sound much better in it. When it comes to writing a film song there are various parameters that have to be taken into account. It’s not just free verse; there’s a melody, an emotion, meter, a story brief, timelines, approvals so on so forth.

What is Tere Bina all about? How long did it take you to write it?
‘Tere Bina’ — these two words say it all. It’s a magical romantic song that envelopes a mix bag of feelings — love, separation, belongingness, hope, and craving for the loved one. Once I met (music director) Niladri Kumar and strated to work on the track, it took at least a month or more from inception to the final product. I really wanted the lyrics to do justice to the emotion of the character, and add to the wonderful melody composed by him. When I heard his instrumental for Tere Bina, it stirred such emotion that I only wanted it to fare better with words.


What is the other song all about?
The other song in the film is Mast Hawa which is my attempt at an item number. Lalit (Pandit) has composed that song and I hear that it is doing pretty well in many cities.

How has your journey from being a politician to a lyricist been?
I think these two are paths that are, and always will, be intertwined. Sometimes lyrics, sometimes politics, sometimes lyrics on politics! It’s a journey that I’m only looking to explore more. Tere Bina has been very special for me especially with artistes like Arijit Singh and maestro Niladri Kumar. And with underprivileged kids singing the chorus, it has really added to this being one of my all-time favourite songs.

Are there any other films you will be writing for?
There are quite a few in the pipeline, and some other interesting projects and collaborations too, which I hope will manifest soon.