Kathmandu

Piyush Mishra does not want to be known either as a messenger nor a revolutionary. "I do not want to be a messenger. I do not want to be a revolutionist," Mishra says reflecting on his decades-long career during an exclusive interview with The Himalayan Times. "I am living my life; I am doing my own revolution. That is enough."

Mishra, a renowned Indian actor, lyricist, and screenwriter, was in the Capital to take part in the Fourth Kalinga Literary Festival held in Kathmandu from June 6-7.

Known for penning highly charged, rebellious anthems and scripts throughout his career, Mishra dismissed the idea that external forces trigger his creative output. When asked what his primary source of revolutionary inspiration is, he simply waved it off saying: "No inspiration, yaar (chap). Inspiration comes from within you. It comes from inside you. You look at any person ..."

Even with his most famous, sociopolitically charged songs, Mishra maintained that his talent is innate rather than learned. "I do not know how I write them. It just comes to me."

"I am blessed," he said, crediting the phenomenon to "spirituality or anything else".

He spoke about groundbreaking Bollywood films ranging from the Sholay era to the recent blockbuster Dhurandhar, which sparked widespread social division and outrage across India. Mishra sees public friction as an unavoidable byproduct of high-impact filmmaking.

"Their wish will always remain. It will always remain. Whenever a path-breaking film comes, there will always be (controversy). It was not the first time."

Mishra agreed that the current socio-political landscape inevitably influences the films produced, pointing out that Dhurandhar was a direct result of that environment. "It was a little bit fluttering. It was supposed to come," he added.

Despite his significant contributions to groundbreaking cinema, including his era-defining work in Anurag Kashyap's Gangs of Wasseypur, Mishra admits he is completely detached from the medium as a viewer.

"I am not a movie buff," he admitted, explaining his viewing habits are solely determined by word of mouth. "I hear from people - a lot of people are talking about Bandar (a new movie by Kashyap); I will go see it."

Mishra expressed immense satisfaction with how Gangs of Wasseypur permanently altered the trajectory and standard of Indian filmmaking. He said, "I am very happy...For the first time actors were talking like real people, the way they talk in daily situations. This was the correct depiction of the underworld."

Speaking of his role in the film - and the intense scene where his character strikes himself - Mishra framed it through classical lens. "It was contextual. Controversial name, but like Vyasa of the Mahabharata."

He also opened up about his notoriously blunt yet deeply affectionate relationship with director Kashyap. He described it as that of an older brother with a younger one, scolding and correcting when mistakes are made. "He's like a younger brother. If a younger brother makes a mistake, you hit him, beat him, scold him ... in the end you accept him."

Mishra did not mince words when comparing today's youth's political awareness to historical revolutionaries such as Bhagat Singh. Addressing ongoing political protests in India, he sharply criticised modern agitators, calling them unprepared.

"The youth these days and the youth back then - there is a difference between the two. The difference with 'cockroaches' is that they are not that well-informed. You have to be that well-informed to carry out such a protest ... To protest, one has to be ready to go to any extent. Bhagat Singh did not fear death. These youth would leave the protest with a two-baton charge."

Mishra explicitly stated that he prefers a movement that is well-prepared and willing to take difficult risks, which he believes is currently lacking. "I like it prepared. But it's not prepared. Risk-taking, hard choice."

However, he firmly rejected the notion that filmmakers hold a duty to spark patriotism or serve a purely revolutionary agenda. "I do not think that your cinema has to be revolutionary. Cinema entertains; movement thinks and happens."

When asked what message he wanted to convey to a world experiencing intense social and political upheaval, true to his individualistic nature, he refused the role of ideological leader.

"Nothing. I do not want to be a messenger. I do not want to be a revolutionist. I am living my life, I am doing my own revolution. That is enough. I am the good arm of society in today's time."