Tumbbad Lyricist Raj Shekhar Interview: I saw ‘Tumbbad’ exactly 6 years ago, when it was first released. Everything felt wonderful. It felt as if all the folktales and stories that I had heard in my childhood from my grandmothers or the elder mother of the locality, were roaming before my eyes in exactly the same way. It felt as if I had reached the era of comics, where visuals roamed around in our minds, right next to us, as if we could feel them.
This became possible only because a team of some courageous filmmakers thought of making ‘Tumbbad’. Remember when recently a song from a film helped you connect with the story? Of ‘3 Idiots’ ‘Give me some sunshine, give me some rain’ Or ‘He was like a flowing wind’ Had it not been so, would the film have been able to have the same impact that it is going to have on the coming generations?
After a long time, the same story was repeated again in ‘Tumbbad’. There is only one song in the film and it tells the essence of the entire film in such a way that perhaps Sanjay might have told the story of Mahabharata to ‘Dhritarashtra’. What I mean to say is that even if you don’t watch the film but listen to the song, you will know the message of the entire film. And if you hear ‘Hey aao na tumbad bhogna hai tumhe’ while watching the movie, then you get goosebumps.
How was this possible?
When I was watching this film, I was thinking, wow, what a song, it is so well written. Which was not forcibly imposed in the film like any other Bollywood film. Rather, it has been prepared very minutely, so that the soul of the film connects with the soul of the audience. This song is not only good because it has been sung very well, but also because of the effort put into writing it.
And the name of the lyricist who gave his life is Raj Shekhar. Maybe you guys may not be familiar with me, I wasn’t there at all. Yes, I was definitely a part of such a large group of viewers who definitely pay attention to the lyrics of the songs, but do not try to find out who the lyricist is. So when I talked to Raj Shekhar, this was the first question that came to my mind and I also asked him.
Some excerpts from the conversation with ‘Tumbbad’ lyricist Raj Shekhar
Question- I heard your songs in ‘Tanu Weds Manu’, Shuddh Desi Romance, Animal and Tumbbad. But sorry, I was not familiar with you properly. Your songs reached millions of ears but your name could not reach so many people. There is this gap, is there any pain because people do not know you in the same way as they know a film star or a singer?
answer- I want you to write this thing in your notebook, because this is a daily thing for a lyricist. It feels good that our work has reached more people than us. But somewhere there is a gap between our work and name. However, it also feels good that now at least people want to know about us.
Question- You come from Bihar, write songs for a Bollywood film, that too for a film which is based on Marathi folklore. The lyrics of the song are such that they are in Hindi but a touch of Sanskrit and Marathi is felt in it. How did this journey related to your language begin and how did you write something so different?
answer- This journey of mine started with Tanu Weds Manu, whose story reaches from UP via Delhi to Punjab and Haryana. I was very lucky in that languages and the people who speak them fascinate me. I listen to them very carefully and see what is being said. My mother tongue is Maithili, so when I use another language in my writing, I learn it by talking to people who speak that language.
He further says, “After writing, I also try to find out from the people who speak that language whether I have made any mistake. When I wrote the song for Tumbbad, the filmmakers wanted the song to sound like Sanskrit but since it is a Pan India film, it should be in Hindi only. Therefore, I wrote the song in such a way that its sound image sounds like Sanskrit.
Question- This song brings you to the soul of the film and tells the story of the film’s lead character’s lust for gold and his virtues and sins. In the song you have very cleverly explained both the positive and negative effects of ‘lust’. How were we able to prepare it in such a way that it fit the story perfectly?
In response to this Raj Shekhar says-
“The lead character of the film has a craving for gold. He had a lot of gold. So his other desires increased. Now he wanted his story and history and immortality. Immortality will come only when there are people who take his name. People will be there when he tells his epic story. The law of marginal utility applies here. This means that the initial satisfaction that we get from something has now reduced. His desire to sleep has reduced, but the lust inside him has not reduced. How will he glorify himself in front of his child? He will be able to do this only when he glorifies his lust. The hero of this film is not a noble hero, so he also knows this, so I myself wore his costume and tried to know what I would have done if I were Vinayak Rao. This song was made just like this.
What bothers you while writing?
Question- When you write a song, how many times do you get frustrated and how many times do you tear a page from your notebook and throw it in the dustbin? What are the obstacles you face while writing a song and how much time did it take you to prepare this song in particular?
answer- It took at least 15-20 days to prepare the song. The biggest problem in writing a song is what will be the language and how will we be able to justify that song.
What is necessary for good writing?
In response to this Raj Shekhar says, “It is important to write what is special about you. Just don’t cover it, leave it uncovered. There is no need to write under anyone’s pressure, you have to write as per how someone else is writing. You bring yourself out. Will be able to write well.
He further says that do not get carried away by what is trending otherwise your specialty will be lost. I have never tried to write under the influence of anyone else.
How is the profession of writing from career point of view?
In response to this, Raj Shekhar says, “Look, you don’t get crores, but you definitely get so much that you can live a good life in an expensive city like Mumbai. There may be difficulty in the beginning but after struggle you can definitely get positive results. Therefore there is no need to panic. There is definitely a struggle, but it can be great from a career perspective.
The ancestors’ vision of a beautiful India appears to be true.
Raj Shekhar also said many amazing things during the conversation with us. It seemed as if he was making poetry in words rather than talking. He said, ”I have also written for Malayalam films. The story of this Malayalam film was based on Mumbai. Imagine a Malayalam film which is being made on the land of Maharashtra, the composer of its songs is a Tamil boy, the writer is a Bihari and the singer is an Indian. What a beautiful thing this is and this is India. This is the same India that our ancestors would have imagined.
languages should be respected
Raj Shekhar further said something amazing. He openly opposed the linguistic division and said that languages should be respected. Be it any dialect or language which does not even have grammar, it should also be respected.
Let us tell you that Raj Shekhar has received the Gold Award for Best Lyricist for the song ‘Pehle Bhi Main’ from the film ‘Animal’ at the recently concluded IIFA Awards 2024 in Abu Dhabi.
about tumbad
This is the same film whose first release was rejected by the audience, but in its re-release, the film earned so much that it broke the record of re-release of a film like ‘Sholay’. The film was re-released and proved to be a blockbuster. The second part of Soham Shah’s film has also been announced. Let us tell you that the first film was directed by Rahi Anil Barve.
