tete-a-tete
In a class of his own
Nonika Singh

Without a doubt, Piysuh Mishra belongs to that rare breed of men and artists the likes of which you encounter only once in a while. So you and me might be awestruck by the versatility of this actor, singer, lyricist, music director and writer (all rolled into one), he doesn’t think he is doing anything remarkable or special.

Without batting an eyelid, he quips, "All of it comes naturally and effortlessly to me and even after doing all this I have enough time at hand." And before you dismiss this as an empty boast, remember he is the man who churned out the music of Gulaal in seven days flat.

As for his other endeavours, he reminds us, that most of the seeds were sown way back. Take the lilting song Ek bagal mein chand hoga... in Gangs of Wasseypur. Now this was one song that he had penned in 1996 for a theatre production. Similarly, the movie The Legend of Bhagat Singh for which he won the Zee Cine award for best dialogues was actually his play Bhagat Singh – Gagan Damama Bajyo that had inspired Raj Kumar Santoshi.

Riding high on the crest of success, he guffaws, "Not even in my wildest imagination had I thought that one day my art would sell for such a phenomenonal price." Seriously are writers paid so well? He replies, "Yes provided you have the nerve to demand your price."

That doesn’t mean he is pompous about his achievements. Rather, he understands that one has to guard against stardom going to one’s head and one is only as good as the last Friday. The secret behind the long innings of superstar Big B he feels is that Bachchan has kept his feet firmly on the ground.

Nishkaam Karam

If Piyush Mishra’s foray into Bollywood that also includes writing lyrics for films Black Friday and Tashan and acting in Rockstar is impressive enough so was his contribution to theatre. An Evening with Piyush Mishra, a solo performance, is one of his favourites. Though he is tempted to dub the years spent in theatre gone in vain, he holds back and thinks again. In fact, the experience of working in theatre he compares to nishkaam karam.

Missed chance?

The most circulated story about Piyush Mishra is how he missed the bus when he didn’t take up the opportunity to act in Maine Pyar Kiya. Quiz him about it and he doesn’t deny it but only adds, "Let the incident rest in peace it has been already exaggerated out of proportion."

On his delayed start in filmdom he says: "After passing out of the National School of Drama I remained devoted to theatre for nearly two decades. Only after burning out my jawani in it I realised I had no money."

As the responsibilities of family stared him in the eye, he moved to tinsel town. In a way, his entry was perfectly timed.

Cinema had begun to change for the better and there was much scope for his many talents. Though he faced the camera for big screen for the first time in Dil Se, it was the stellar role of Kaka in Maqbool that changed things for him.

But he dismisses the notion that there is something called cinema for art’s sake. On the contrary, he observes: "Cinema is an art made for commerce that’s why it’s called film industry." Are rules of acting too different in this industry? He quips: "For sure. In fact, in Gwalior I believed I was the best actor in the world. Then I came to the NSD where a whole new world waited for me. I stepped out and realised technique is not everything, the practical world of rangmanch is different. In cinema, it’s all about being seen. For instance,what is the idea of giving your best shot from a point where the camera can’t catch it?"

As lessons in the path of never-ending learning continue, there is more that he wants and craves to make his own films. While he may be a part of films like Gangs of Wasseypur, (he has a full-fledged cameo in the second one too), and swears by the genius of Anurag Kashyap, he endorses a very different kind of cinema. Says he: "I am a pujari of Raju Hirani’s cinema that entire family can watch together."

When Piyush will direct the cinema he believes in he can’t say….. Right now, he is happy in the comfort zone of writing and acting. Yes nothing succeeds like success. Only he ponders, "There is a limit to chasing goals for beyond success lies the real purpose of life." As he is busy drawing a line between sukh and anand, rest assured yet another heart-warming number and score is in the making. Meanwhile don’t miss his song Husna that featured in Coke Studio.

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