Timeless Verses by Neelesh Misra – Planet Bollywood

Neelesh Misra is a multi-faceted personality. He started his career as a journalist, dabbled in radio and today, spearheads Gaon Connection, which is said to be the biggest ‘rural platform’ in India. The one aspect of his professional life that doesn’t get discussed very often is his work as a lyric writer in Hindi films. By the standards of Hindi film industry, Neelesh hasn’t written a lot of songs but each and every song written by him offer one an insight into his imaginative mind and his command over language and poetry.  

Here, I write about ten of my favourite songs written by the man who wears multiple hats as a creative artist.

Maine Dil Se Kaha – Rog

My favourite Neelesh Misra song is one that I fall in love with a little more every time I listen to it. In the film, the song gives one a glimpse of the restlessness that Inspector Uday Singh Rathod (Irrfan) is going through. The song arrives just a few minutes after the film starts and in a way, helps the audience familiarize themselves with the character Irrfan plays in the film. The sense of melancholy in the song was brought to the fore wonderfully by the incredible lines written by Neelesh. The song, just like the rest of the songs in the album, didn’t get its due upon release. However, a couple of the songs, like this one, have become very popular with time.

Khwahishon Se – Holiday

I hear this song most early in the morning or during a time when I feel the need to rejuvenate myself. Yes, that’s the kind of impact this criminally underrated song has on me. The song talks about the joy and ecstasy involved in falling in love and discovering many of its wonders. The tune composed by Ranjit Barot is highly immersive and the song benefits hugely by the spirited rendition of Kunal Ganjawala and Shreya Ghoshal.

Gulon Mein Rang Bhare – Sikandar

Writing original lines to accompany the verses written by the great Faiz Ahmed Faiz is a huge responsibility. Neelesh took this responsibility upon his shoulders and the result was a song that, in my humble opinion, was a masterpiece. Sandesh Shandilya put together a highly tuneful composition and Neelesh did complete justice to it as a writer. The lyricist kept the theme of the film (children/teens being brainwashed into embracing the path of terrorism) in mind while writing the verses. He paid a tribute to Faiz and wrote some wonderful lines that were in sync with the narrative of the film.

Bepanah Pyaar Hai – Krishna Cottage

A horror film made in India cannot do without a haunting romantic number. But, most of those films do not have a song as great as ‘Soona Soona’/’Bepanah Pyaar Hai’. While Anu Malik succeeds in creating a wonderfully haunting melody, Neelesh’s verses, which depict the longing of a soul for her beloved, are the highlight of the song. Shreya Ghoshal brings out the meaning and depth in each word effectively to the fore.

Phire Faqeera – Pagglait

The lines written by Neelesh for this song are truly fascinating. Despite nor seeing the film, I can gauge the mental state of the protagonist just by going through the verses written by Neelesh. The lines written by him serve as the perfect foil for the psychedelic-like tune created by Arijit Singh. The song almost has a hypnotic effect on one’s senses even one is haring it for the umpteenth time.

Zindagi – Bajrangi Bhaijaan

If you read or listen to the lyrics carefully while the song is playing, you will realize Neelesh has done masterful job at capturing the essence of the film or conveying the idea behind it through the verses he writes for this song. This is one of the songs that make you realize how important it is for a lyric writer to familiarize himself/herself with the story that film is trying to tell and the kind of contribution they can make to the narrative. While the tune (Pritam) is quite decent, it’s the lyrics that stand out. On the album, the song featured in two versions, one sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and the other sung by Jubin Nautiyal.

Jheeni Re Jheeni – Issaq

This was one of the songs from a fairly interesting album that was just mot promoted. After the film tanked at the box-office, there was little hope for people giving this song a hear. Neelesh writes some poignant lines that depict the sorrow in the hearts of the couple whom destiny has pulled apart in different directions. Apart from the lyrics, the song boasted of a terrific composition and dexterous rendition.

Khamosh Tanhaiyon Mein – It’s My Life

This film, which went on the floors in 2007/08, had a direct-to-TV release twelve years later in 2020! The delayed release of the film marred the prospects of the Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy composed album which had a couple of good songs. What one can feel happy about is that the album got a release and one got to hear a gem of a song in the form of ‘Khamosh Tanhaiyon Mein’. The romantic melody strikes an impression as soon as you hear it for the first time. Neelesh writes some wonder poetry for this song and one can’t help but wish he had collaborated more often with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.

Jhumritalaiya – Jagga Jaasoos

The line “duniya yeh thodi thodi si nehtar lahe, dil ke naukar chaakar lage, jhuk ke puchein kya hai aarzoo” might be a little inappropriate but one can overlook it and marvel at all the other wonderful lines Neelesh writes for this song. The lyrics, written by him, makes one realize that he not only understood the theme of the film but also its overall ‘feel’. For a Disney-sque film, made for the younger audience, the lyrics were just right.

Kya Mujhe Pyaar Hai – Woh Lamhe

When you listen to ‘Kya Mujhe Pyaar Hai’, you almost forget the kind of tragic story the film tells. The song, though a romantic number, has a bouncy tune (Pritam) to it and makes you tap your feet while you play it. “Patthar ke in raston pe phoolon ki ek chaadar hai, jab se mile ho humko badla har ik manzar hai….” – through his verses, Neelesh showcases the kind of emotions a person goes through when they fall in love with someone for the first time. One of the highlights of the song, undoubtedly, is KK’s rendition.