Putting it in Writing

Amitabh Bhattacharya showcased his talent with Dev.D and the comforting Iktaara. Recently,he made Bittoo in Band Baaja Baraat sing Chai mein dooba biscuit ho gaya. These lyrics are miles away from the genteel,Urdu-heavy pieces of the previous era. “The best thing is that the new group of lyricists is able to straddle different worlds and are as comfortable with snappy numbers as they are with a romantic ballad,” says Delhi-based lyricist Neelesh Mishra,who attributes the colloquial lyrics to the new lyricists’ small-town sensibilities.

While dialogue writer-turned-lyricist Niranjan Iyenger,42,has gone the Sufi way in My Name is Khan,Anvita Dutt Guptan,39,is using her experience in the ad world to create lyrics that are colloquial for films such as Tees Maar Khan and Patiala House. “One has to add colour to what already exists,” says Guptan.

Bhattacharya says that it helps that several directors do not force a blueprint of demands on the lyricists. “The creative freedom that I work with is immense and this is thanks to the young directors,” says Bhattacharya,whose recent venture,Udaan,won him a lot of accolades. Some directors are very exacting. For instance,Sanjay Leela Bhansali wanted simple lyrics for a song in Guzaarish,where a quadriplegic wants to make every moment of his life meaningful. So lyricist Vibhu Puri,29,was told to stay as close to the character as possible. “I was to know my characters very well and my songs were to branch out of characters,not a situation,” says Puri.

Iyenger’s Sajda,a quasi-qawwali piece from My Name is Khan,which instantly struck a chord with its beautiful writing,was originally a part of the dummy lyrics written for Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy to work on. “But Karan Johar and Shankar Mahdevan loved the song so much that they wanted it right away,” says Iyenger,who also ended up penning the film’s Noor-E-Khuda and Allah Hi Rahem. “I grew up in Dombivili but I was interested in Sufi poetry and what I write stems from that sensibility,” says Iyenger.