On the sets with Irshad Kamil

At his minimally done-up residence,41-year-old Kamil has converted one room into a workspace that houses a book shelf,a two-seater and his desk by the French window with an expansive view of the Oshiwara creek. Currently working on songs for Anand L Rai’s Raanjhnaa and his old friend Imtiaz Ali’s Highway,he is also readying for other upcoming projects that include Yash Raj Films’ Gunday,Subhash Ghai’s Kaanchi and Rajkumar Santoshi’s Phata Poster Nikla Hero.

Having written for films in a variety of genres,Kamil’s lyrics are most known for their nuances and poetic expressions. Take for instance Jab We Met’s Tum Se Hi, Tera Hone Laga Hoon from Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani or more recently, Tum Hi Ho in Aashiqui 2. Yet,he also delivers variety,contemporising thoughts in order to speak the language of the characters in the movie. Chor Bazari of Love Aaj Kal and Sheher Mein Hoon Mein Tere in Rockstar are few examples.

Follow The Roots;

Kamil attributes these aspects of his writing to a command over the language,which in turn stems from his roots. “Malerkotla,where I grew up,is the only town in Punjab with a strong Muslim population. While Punjabi was the spoken language,Urdu was my mother tongue. Besides,there was a strong inherent culture of poetry, shayari and ghazals in my hometown,where even the chaiwala could narrate a few couplets. That,combined with my PhD in Hindi literature gave me a strong base,” he explains.

However,much of what he writes,says Kamil,also depends on the language and origin of the characters as well as the story setting. “For example,the songs in Raanjhnaa have a touch of classical music,and the lyrics are written keeping in mind the culture and language of Varanasi,” he says. To achieve this,Kamil spends time with the director in an attempt to understand the characters and their graph,sometimes making several visits to the set to watch the actors at work and gauge the mood.

The Imtiaz Connection

His relationship with Ali,however,is special. Kamil has penned lyrics for every movie Ali has written,including Ahista Ahista and Cocktail, neither of which he directed. “Our friendship dates back to days when we were both struggling to survive in the film industry. Today,we share a comfort level where we don’t necessarily need to utter praises for each other’s work or explain our thoughts and ideas behind our work because there is an understanding. Also,since I am part of Imtiaz’s films as a friend from the ideation stage,it helps in taking my work to another level,” says Kamil,who believes that Ali’s Jab We Met earned him recognition and Rockstar won him accomplishment.

But working for his director friend is challenging. “Highway’s music is folk-driven and the movie travels from Delhi to Punjab,Himachal,Kashmir and Rajasthan. I had to grasp the nuances of the local language and music before working on the lyrics,” says Kamil,who believes that much of the writing is about rewriting an original draft. “I wrote seven versions of Nadaan Parinde (Rockstar) before arriving at the final version.”

And much like his colleagues,Pritam and AR Rahman,Kamil works at night. He confesses that he can write anywhere,including a crowded room. “Earlier,I would write at a bus stop. Watching people go on with their lives,I would zone out and enter my own world. And once I am there,I am oblivious to the world.”