In a candid chat about being Piyush Mishra, the actor-writer-singer talks to us about his beliefs, struggles, the solace he now finds in spirituality and the message he would like to give to the rural youth.
When Piyush Mishra is not spinning words in his head, he is probably acting or singing. Or being brutally honest about himself. Even a brief chat with him is filled with the self-deprecating “I am a very low IQ, below-average person” and “I often make mistakes” kind of declarations, which flow seamlessly alongside positive and motivational statements like “no work goes by without bearing fruit”.
The contrast seems natural enough when it comes from him. Mishra is one of the most popular multi-hyphenates in the country today, after all. But not all vocations are equally dear to the talent powerhouse, who has made a name in the country as an actor, writer, singer, poet, composer and lyricist.
“Acting in films is not my passion, it’s just an occupation to me. It’s something I do to earn money,” Mishra said during a conversation with us on the sidelines of the Swara Mountain Arts Festival organised by Jagori Rural Charitable Trust in their campus at Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh.
Mishra is known for acting in films such as Maqbool and Gangs of Wasseypur, and his musical ensemble, Ballimaaraan: The Piyush Mishra Project. But he remains a theatre person and poet at heart. Ask him about his other claim to fame – his famous verses such as Ik bagal mein chand hoga and Kuchh ishq kiya kuchh kaam kiya – and he shrugs off the gems.
“I don’t plan my writing,” he said. “I pen down the words as they flow. And I don’t think about my writings later,” he added, mentioning how he wrote his novel, Tumhari Auqat Kya Hai Piyush Mishra, during the pandemic.
Mishra’s works are largely recognised as stirring and powerful depictions of dissent, but the 62-year-old artiste now wants to slow down in life, drawn as he is towards spiritualism.
“I am a firm believer in God and in concepts like reincarnation, etc,” he said. Mishra believes that he was an artiste in the previous birth too.
“I am certain that I was born right where my past life ended. Otherwise how am I able to do so many things?,” he added, revealing that he earlier tried to give the credit to himself for his multiple skills. “But it felt wrong. I realised that some other force was behind me.”
His political leanings have changed too, and he no longer wears the mantle of leftist activism, or any political ideology for that matter.
“Everyone is a leftist when they are young,” he said. “It’s your need at that time. But today, I am neither with the left, nor the BJP or the Congress.”
He only has words of encouragement for the youngsters, who comprise a large part of his fan base.
“This generation is very sharp,” Mishra said. “If you try to impose your views on them, they won’t take it. I talk to them about their life and what they like, in a way they can relate to.”
Mishra also believes that the younger generation, especially those coming from remote areas, have to look for and create opportunities for themselves. He cites his own example and the challenges he faced while growing up at Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh.
“My parents didn’t understand me. I spent my childhood in very difficult circumstances,” he said. “They didn’t recognise my art or my creativity.”
That background continues to haunt him.
“I don’t have a very high IQ myself,” he said. “I will get caught if someone talks to me for a long time.”
And that’s why he feels it’s easier for him to forge connections with people. His down-to-earth simplicity breaks barriers. But he himself expresses surprise with the tremendous following he enjoys today, especially with his music band, Ballimaaraan.
“We recently performed in the United States,” he said. “And I was taken aback by the huge response we got.”
From a small town to the glitz of the Hindi film industry and international popularity, Mishra has traversed a wide arc. So what would he like to say to those struggling to make their dreams come true?
“I never had big opportunities either,” he said. “But one must always work hard, because no effort ever goes waste.”
Pallavi Srivastava is Associate Director – Content at Village Square.
