MUMBAI: National Award winning lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya, interacted with more than 400 students at the Whistling Woods International campus and gave them an overview of lyric writing on 14 March 2017.

Moderated by Founder and Chairman of WWI, Subhash Ghai, the session started with an AV on different forms of poetry and the evolution of poetry over the years. Also, it highlighted the involvement of well-known poets to the Indian cinema, and shed light on the art of poetry writing.

While talking about it, Amitabh Bhattacharya, highlighted the key difference between poetry writing and lyric writing, and how both have their own set of rules and regulations to be followed. When asked about how to compose a song from scratch, he said, “The words I use in my lyrics today are the words I used to hear in my childhood in my hometown. I always wanted to keep some connection with my roots, hence I found this way. I have not taken any professional training in lyric writing, it comes naturally to me. However, I always wanted to be a singer, not a lyric writer.”

The 5th Veda session with Amitabh Bhattacharya underlined the importance of lyrics in mainstream Indian cinema. He shared his journey to fame in the film industry, and further entertained the audiences by singing some of the blockbuster songs he has penned including ‘Emosanal Attyachaar’ from ‘Dev D’, ‘Haanikaarak Bapu’ from ‘Dangal’, ‘Channa Mereya’ from ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, ‘Ankahee’ from ‘Lootera’ to name a few. The highlight of the evening was when he sang the unreleased version of the title track of ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’, leaving the audience mesmerised with the beauty of the meaningful lyrics and his personal rendition.

Towards the end of an eventful session, he also mentioned how he still listens to the tune first, before writing the lyrics for his songs. He also shared a few anecdotes and behind the scene working experiences with renowned Bollywood stars like Aamir Khan and Shahrukh Khan.

Talking about Whistling Woods International he said, “I completely enjoyed the session, I think Subhash Ji has done an amazing job by building a school which provides a platform to the young talents. The vibe here is completely different and I was thrilled when I heard the students sing. I think they are phenomenal.”