MUMBAI: Come 25 January, and we will watch Thackeray, a biopic about the firebrand leader of Maharashtra. It is indeed difficult to condense a lifetime of efforts and work done by the revered leader, however, the movie looks promising starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Amrita Rao and it being an Indian movie, songs are a must. The soundtrack of the movie is yet-to-go live, but the title track is already talked about. The title track is sung by Naksh Aziz, composed by music duo Rohan-Rohan and penned by lyricist Padmashri Dr. Sunil Jogi.

“I have had the privilege of meeting Balasaheb on more than one occasion. In fact, he had even released my book of satirical poems. I have shared stage with him on many occasions, where he was the guest of honour and I was reciting my poems. I have even visited Matoshree to meet him. Therefore, I had a strong connect with him. When I got to know this movie was going to be made, I met Shri Sanjay Raut (Producer and Member of Parliament for the Shiv Sena party) and approached him with the idea of this track. He was reluctant, initially but later agreed after hearing the lyrics. I am grateful to Sanjayji for giving me this opportunity,” said Dr Jogi.

Continuing further, Dr Jogi said, “Balasaheb was just not a leader but also an artiste at heart. He knew how to respect artistes and valued them tremendously.”

About the song, he said, “The song is a reflection of his personality. I have used words that touched every aspect of his personality, from being a firebrand leader to an artistic soul. Also, the hook line has the word Baap in it. The word Baap has one meaning (Father) but many connotations. It means someone who is superior and to be feared and also means someone who looks after you. Balasaheb was all of that for Hindutava vaadis and for the state of Maharashtra.”

The song is composed by Rohan –Rohan and Dr Jogi is all praises for them, “They have used many Maharashtrian flavors in the song. From using the bigul or tutari to creating the whole vibe of Marathi culture, the song has turned out to be beautiful.”

This is not the first song penned by Dr Jogi. Previously, he has penned a song for Anurag Kashyap’s Mukkebaaz called Mushkil Hai Apna Mil Hona Priye. He says, “I have written a song before this. However, the title track of Thackeray is very special to me and I consider it to be an achievement. I also thank Shri Uddhav Thackerayji and his whole family for their support. In future I would like to do more work in Bollywood.”