I think and write in Hindi, says Dangal lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya

S good lyricist uplifts a good tune, a great one makes it unforgettable and a humble one, makes for some great conversation. Amitabh Bhattacharya falls in all three categories. He is proud of his journey and over sips of green tea, fields questions on films, friends, Dangal, perceptions and more...

Do you pick your projects or do the projects pick you?

It works both ways. But mostly, I get picked. At times, if I come across a project that’s open, I listen to the script, gather information about the project and if am interested, I do it.

Lyricists are generally known for their associations with music directors. Over the course of your career, you have worked with several. Who made for the best partner in the song-making process?

The flipside is, everybody has a different style and process they follow. For example, Amit Trivedi from the word go has his basic structure and melody ready. I write to the melody. Pritam works on options. If there’s one particular situation, he’d like to present two three options. Whatever options he finalises, he’ll then juggle roots, productions, lyric styles singing... stuff like that. Shankar Ehsaan Loy work in jam sessions. Loy and Ehsaan kick in a groove, Shankar composes a piece, records it, I listen to it on my headphones, go out, come back, he records it again and we play it. Ajay-Atul, too, have their melodies ready and we just go ahead with it.

How did you pick your one-time pen name Indraneel? Why did you drop it?

I did an album for this band called Om The Fusion Band. At the time, I was writing under pen names on the side. I wrote some songs for them and told them not to feature my name. That  Mujhe toh singer banna hai aur koi lyricist mujhe kaam nahi dega... that sort of stuff. So, I asked them to use the name Indraneel, but eventually Aamir and Dev.D happened. Amit and others insisted that it was time to come out in the open and the rest just followed.

One thing in your career you didn’t want to do, but were compelled to do.

Now, I strictly try and do complete albums. That is something I started my career with. But I didn’t do all the songs in Dev.D. I wrote eight songs. For Aamir and Udaan, I wrote them all. Band Bajaa Baaraat too. That’s what I wanted to do. There have been films where I’ve written one or two songs in a few projects I had to do because I had to be in circulation or if I felt the song or film was good and I wanted to be part of it.

Did you have a Haanikarak Bapu? Or is it you having fun with words?

My father wasn’t one, but I knew people who had haanikarak bapus.

We heard bits of the Dangal title track on the trailer and are quite kicked about it. Do you ever go back to your writing and wonder, ‘Did I write that?’

In a good way? All the time. And I think it happens to all artistes. Because when an idea comes that moment takes over. Of course, every couple of years, I do feel like that. I relate with what you’re asking...

Did you have to do a crash course in Haryanvi for Dangal? Or Punjabi/Urdu for Ae Dil Hai Mushkil?

The songs in Dangal are pretty close to Hindi, if you see. So, no. It was a conscious decision not to keep the songs Haryanvi, but to retain the flavour. Kahin kahin pe, a few Haryanvi nuances need to be brought in. As far as other films go, my source material is whatever I’ve heard over the years in conversations around me or through songs that I’ve heard. That’s where I’ve learned from.

Would you do/ have you done any projects in another language, say Bangla?

I think and write in Hindi having grown up in a place like Lucknow, so no, I don’t think I’d be able to write Bangla lyrics.

At least two movies in recent memory have stressed that great musicians/singers come from a place of pain and longing. Do you buy into that thought process?

I believe, not in the stereotypical way, but yeah. I believe artist wohi hai — dard is the filmi part of it — but you cannot be great if you don’t pick up a few scars along the way.

People criticise the generalisation.

Isnt it true, though?

Across the board?

I feel it has happened to me. You’ve gone through pain, heartbreak, disappointment... of some sort and it’s something that makes you express yourself better. Definitely, I have strongly felt it.

Rapidfire

Amit Trivedi or Pritam?

Both obviously. That comes my way pretty often. I feel they’re two wheels of the system. They balance it out for me.

Md Rafi or Kishore Kumar

I was always a Kishore fan.

Shiv Kumar Batalvi or Nida Fazli

Nida Fazli, because I’ve read more of his stuff.

Lavs or shabd

Depends on the rhyme.