MUMBAI: Winner of two National Awards and multiple accolades for movies like ‘Lage Raho Munnabhai’ and ‘3 Idiots’, ace lyricist Swanand Kirkire is juggling several hats at the moment. Currently seen as judge on singing reality show ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar 2’, the lyricist cum singer will also be seen testing his acting skills in ‘Maximum’ and ‘Single Chal Riya Hoon’.

He made his acting debut with ‘Calcutta Mail’ in 2003 but later shifted his focus on penning lyrics for movies like ‘Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi’, ‘Parineeta’, ‘Paa’, ‘Lafangey Parindey’ and ‘Singham’ amongst others.

Speaking about his television stint with the reality show, Kirkire said, “I stayed away from television for so long as I was not getting any good offers. This show was a really good opportunity for me to come into the limelight since there were people who knew my work and my name but not my face. Through this show I got a chance to show them who Swanand Kirkire is.”

Apart from the reality show, the writer also featured on the musical program ‘The Great Gig in the Sky’. The format of the show enabled him to compose songs with musicians in the open hills offering an exhilarating experience. “It was a wonderful experience participating in the show and going out in the hills to produce songs. I got a chance to meet people from different walks of life. We all stayed together at places we don’t visit like Igatpuri, Pali hills and Thane Lake. We sang without any instruments. All of us interacted with each other, shared food, water and shelter. It was not the kind of regular gig where you sit in a car, perform and then return,” he shared.

Talking about the songs composed during the show, he commented, “We composed some really good songs during the show which I am thinking of incorporating into an album sometime soon, though nothing definite has been decided yet.”

Discussing the thought behind the National Award winning song ‘Behti Hawa Sa’ from ‘3 Idiots’, he explained, “The song is a very important one of my career as it brought me my second National Award. The song was basically written keeping in mind the character of Rancho (Aamir Khan) and describing him. It was a great experience writing this song and see it gain such immense popularity amongst the youth. I was really glad this song won me so many accolades.”

Kirkire’s creativity with words will be displayed in his upcoming films ‘Ferrari Ki Sawari’, ‘English Vinglish’, ‘Bol Bachchan’ and ‘Barfee’ amongst others. Each film with its different storyline feature songs of various styles and genres. Based on cricket, ‘Ferrari Ki Sawari’ will feature  his two compositions,“While one is a cricket song whose lyrics reflect the celebration of the sport and the passion Indians have for it, the other composition is a prayer song that I have penned,” he reveals.

Speaking about his other project ‘Barfee’ the lyricist said, “I have written a few songs for Barfee. Considering the subject and characters, I had to understand the nuances very carefully. But all I can say is that the songs penned for this film are very entertaining and musical.”

He has also penned lyrics for the much awaited film ‘English Vinglish’ which marks the comeback of bollywood actress Sridevi. As the title of the movie suggests, the songs that have been penned contain English as well as Hindi words collectively.

When quizzed about the use of English words in bollywood songs today, the lyricist expressed, “English is a very essential language which we all speak and converse in today. Lyricists use words from various languages including Tamil, English and Marathi. Language or genres are no barrier. Personally, I like to incorporate such words into my songs to give it a whole new meaning altogether.”

“Although the themes of Bollywood films haven’t changed much, there is a new grittiness to some of the stories which leaves little room for the sentimentality of the traditional Hindi lyrical poetry,” he added.

With the current breed of lyricists displaying immense potential, Kirkire asserts that the Indian music industry will not have a dearth of good writers in the years to come. “I really admire the work of Irshad Kamil and Amitabh Bhattacharya amongst others. There was a lull of good lyricists 10-20 years ago but now it has changed,” he said.

A lesser known fact about the multi-faceted lyricist is his venture into regional films. Kirkire has composed for two Marathi films ‘Deool’ and ‘Balgandharva’ as well as a Bhojpuri film ‘Deswa’. Talking about his experience, Kirkire said, “It was a very special experience composing for these films as the use of language and words is very different. Though I haven’t done many regional language films, I would like to do so if I get more offers.”

Apart from penning lyrics the rhymester’s passion lies in acting. After doing small roles in several films, Kirkire is finally set to make his mark in bollywood this year with ‘Maximum’ and ‘Single Chal Riya Hoon’. Slated to release in coming months, ‘Maximum’ directed by Kabeer Kaushik will feature him as a gangster, while the latter will see him playing the role of a film-maker. “In my new film ‘Maximum’ I have a more noticeable role. The audience will at least remember that I was there in the film,” he concludes.