Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Entertainment | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

A head of his times!

A MAN OF MANY PARTS Ad man and lyricist Prasoon Joshi

Running against time is quite natural for Prasoon Joshi, a man who belongs to many worlds: poetry (he has already written three volumes and is now finishing the fourth one); film lyrics (he won the Screen Award last year for Hum Tum and has just finished penning the dialogues and songs for Rang De Basanti, the next Aamir Khan movie); and singing (he sings most of his ad jingles).

He may not like to dwell on his lyrical contribution to the songs of Rok Sako To Rok Lo, which did not pass muster with either the public or film critics, but in the past the music world sat up to notice his songs in Hum Tum and his poetry in Phir Milenge.

New work

His latest work in Rang De Basanti seems peppy, catchy and very new. The title number "Rang De Basanti" is already on the lips of the young generation.

Writing dialogues did not come easy. "It was no different from having your head divided into small pieces, as one has to make the different departments in mind for each character," he says, crinkling his forehead. This winner of over 200 advertising awards from across the world says he takes up projects according to his first instinct.Joshi wholeheartedly thanks his parents for his early exposure to music. Both were Sangeet Prabhakars, and his mother still sings for All India Radio.

"My exposure to films and film songs began when I was in college," he recounts, "and that, combined with my training made me realise it was important to reach out to the masses."

His work with completely unlike filmmakers like Rajkumar Santoshi, Kalpana Lajmi, Kunal Kohli and Aditya Chopra, Revathy and Arindam Chaudhuri speaks of his range.

Joshi feels music is greatly overrated over here. "Music attracts a person to a song, but it is the lyrical content that makes it live on forever. Poets are expected to supply words to a tune. The tune is like a body, while poetry provides that body with the heartbeat. The poetry will always rule," he says. Another film for whose songs he has provided the "heartbeat" is Kunal Kohli's yet-to-be-released Fannah, again starring Aamir Khan with Kajol.

NEHA NAGPAL

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail