It's all in the lyrics

After writing lyrics for films including Barfi and Kai Po Che, showing his acting prowess in some and even singing, Swanand Kirkire's next goal is to direct a film someday.

But for the moment, he's got his hands full with a number of other commitments, including a concert for a cause. He and Shantanu Moitra, along with Vikram Sathye and Shaan are doing a concert tomorrow in support of Krushnaa Patil, the youngest Indian woman to climb Mount Everest. Swanand spoke to CS about the show, his lyric-writing and the equation he shares with Shantanu:

For a cause
Shantanu, Vikram and I were thinking of doing some gig together, and we happened to meet Krushnaa, and got to know about her plans to climb K2. She was struggling to get some sponsorship and we thought, why not do this gig to raise awareness about mountaineering. And even after this show, we want to keep helping out people who have out-of-the-box ideas and are in genuine need.

Artistic value
The lyrics that I write are for the common man. That is how I understand art. I have never received any professional training in poetry. Whatever I've learnt is from Indian cinema. That's my only reference point. I am a big fan of Shailendra and Gulzarsaab. I feel that there should be artistic value to what we write, but at the same time, it should also be easily understandable by everyone.

A good enough job
I find everything enjoyable, though I'm still trying to find my forte. I think writing lyrics is the most challenging part for me. You have to be unique. You have to cater to the story as well as to the audience. Also, songs come with a context.

At the same time, they have to mean something even if you're not listening to the song as part of the film. As for acting, I keep doing it as and when something comes but there's no harm if I lose out on a role. I won't mind if people say I did a bad job as an actor, but I will mind if people say I've done a bad job writing lyrics.

Friends, not colleagues
Shantanu and I share a good equation. We're like-minded people. The best thing about us is that we both don't like to work much (laughs). Since day one, we have been working together, so the equation we share is more of friends than of colleagues.