Swanand Kirkire started as a theatre person and went on to work in television before moving on to the silver screen. Today, he is recognised as a lyricist

who is a class apart from the rest, a singer who has broken the norms to try something different and has succeeded at it as well. Radioandmusic.com's Aaishwari Chouhan gets into a candid conversation with the man himself - Swanand Kirkire.

Excerpts:

You started off as a theater person after graduating from the National School of Drama. How were the theatre days back in 1996?

Theatre is a great medium and is a good ground for experimentation. It has little to no money and hence, it is almost impossible to make a career out of theatre alone. I always knew I wanted to get into things other than theatre alone. However, my theatre days were nice and I got to learn a lot there.

Then television came your way. Did you expect such a transition?

I wanted to be in cinema. I always knew that. Coming to Mumbai was a big dream then and it was a 'dare game' if one even thought of shifting base to this city. When television came my way, everything was the same except the medium, which was different.

It surely is progress to move ahead as a chief assistant director, dialogue writer, lyricist and eventually a singer. Did you plan this trajectory?

I never thought I would be a singer. I always dreamt of becoming a director and when I assisted Sudhir Mishra as a director; I went a step closer to my dream. I am happy about the fact that my talents, one after another, are being recognised.

You did not learn classical singing even though both your parents were trained classical singers. Did they approve of you or did you have a tough time convincing them?

I never liked singing back then. And since my parents were trained singers themselves, they knew the difficulties of a career in music; they wanted me to do engineering or probably do an MBA from a recognised institute and lead a corporate lifestyle. They did not even approve of my involvement in theatre. They never looked at singing as a career. They always looked unhappy with my decision on such issues.

Where do you think the music scenario in India is headed?

Music seems fortunately to be constantly changing and I think, it needs to change all the time because stagnation in the music industry not just kills the creativity but also affects the product. People today are willing to accept non-traditional music; they are open to everything the industry has to offer to them. Many good things are happening in the industry, many good lyricists and singers are coming up today. The whole goody-goody feel of voices seems to be replaced by classy, fresh voices. This is happening since everything isn't lip-synched any more.

Do you think that the audience today needs to be more educated to appreciate good music and meaningful lyrics?

One can't expect the audience to be educated to appreciate good music. But yes, the overall appreciation for good music has gone down. In fact, if you ask me I think the 1980s were the worst. However, musicians should understand that the audience is expecting too much and has become extremely choosy. Entertainment is the basis to appreciation of music today.

What is the one thing that you wish to change about the music industry today?

I really wish to se more experimentation and I want music to be served on a better platter now.

How beneficial are talent hunt competitions when it comes to the industry at large?

Such talent hunts usually give a year of fame or so. In addition, not all the talent present in the nation can be brought on one stage, on one show. Nevertheless, what I like about the whole concept is that everyone is getting something in return. Be it the host, the participants or the judges, which is not bad! I have one suggestion to make here. Why do people sing the songs of other artistes and why do talent hunts happen only for the singers? There should be talent hunts for scriptwriters, lyricists and the songs that are sung by the participants should be original. According to me, by copying someone, versatility is lost.

What maximizes the equity of an artiste?

An artiste's job is not easy; it's not just about glitter and glamour. People should recognise that it is a very painful job and that experience maximizes the equity of any artiste. An artiste has to constantly judge himself as a performer on the parameters he has set for himself after which everything follows but he cannot afford to make loose statements.

What is the next big thing for Swanand Kirkire?

Right now, I am doing Ram Advani's Talisman wherein a will write the dialogues, pen the lyrics and do the screenplay too.

The one thing that inspires you to work harder…

Cheque! (Laughs!) Actually, it is the process and meeting the expectations of the people who think you have the potential to do better things. The end product and the appreciation it receives are the greatest inspiration to work harder for the next.