The Score Magazine July 2019 issue | Page 30

MUSKAN GOSWAMI 6 CONTEMPORARY LYRICISTS IN BOLLYWOOD Over the years, Bollywood has seen some truly versatile and unique lyricists. These lyricists have successfully brought an eccentric flavor to the movies they were a part of. The songs that these lyricists weave are contemporary in nature and stay hooked in the mind for a long period of time. We have shortlisted 7 of the best contemporary lyricists in the industry. Have a look: 1. Irshad Kamil 4. Kausar Munir An Urdu poet and lyricist, who initially wrote scripts for television soaps and later, wrote dialogues for movies. In 2004, the lyricist received his first big break as a Bollywood lyricist by writing for award-winning Chameli. The songs of the movie got popularized for its soulful and melodious lyrics. Irshad has written several heart-warming and award-winning lyrics. Kausar is one among the many talented female lyricists in India. She is undeniably one of the most popular female lyricists in Bollywood. Kausar began her journey as a writer by writing dialogues for TV shows. It was the song Falak Tak, from the movie Tashan (2008), which immensely helped her in establishing a name in the male-dominant industry. Ever since then, Kausar has written various songs for famous Bollywood movies. Known for – Jab We Met (2007), Love Aaj Kal (2009), Rockstar (2011), Aashiqui 2 (2013), Highway (2014), and Tamasha (2015). 2. Varun Grover An award-winning screenwriter and lyricist, who initially used to work as a software consultant. One of his first breaks in the industry was working as a staff writer for the TV show, The Great Indian Comedy Show. Other than writing unique lyrics, Varun is also acclaimed for script writing. He was the script writer for the National Film Award- winning Masaan (2015). Known for – Ishaqzaade (2012), Main Tera Hero (2014) , Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015), and Dear Zindagi (2016) 5. Amitabh Bhattacharya Known for – Gangs of Wasseypur: Part 1 & 2 (2012), Raman Raghav 2.0 (2016), and Udta Punjab (2016). A lyricist and a playback singer in Bollywood, Amitabh is among the most reputed contemporary lyricists of this generation. His first major break was the song Emotional Attyachar, for the movie Dev D (2009). After the success of this song, Amitabh became immensely popular and ever since then, he has written several classics such as Channa Mereya, Kabira, Mast Magan, Zehnaseeb, and Abhi Mujh Mein Kahin. 3. Tanveer Ghazi Known for – Band Baaja Baarat (2010), Delhi Belly (2011), Barfi! (2012), and Lootera (2013). Tanveer is a lyricist who has gained much popularity in a short span of time. Unlike other lyricists mentioned in the article, Ghazi has written songs for a handful of Bollywood movies only. Nevertheless, this lyricist writes in an immensely beautiful manner. Known for – Pink (2016), Running Shaadi (2017), and October (2018). 28 The Score Magazine highonscore.com 6. Prasoon Joshi A Padma Shri awardee (2015) and two-time winner of the National Flim Award for Best Lyric, Prasoon is one of the best lyricists in Bollywood. The renowned lyricist was just 17 year old when he wrote his first book. Later, he worked in the field of advertising and delivered taglines for ad campaigns including, “Thanda Matlab Coca-Cola”. Prasoon currently is a well-appreciated lyricist and screenplay writer in Bollywood. Known for –Black (2005), Fanaa (2006), Range De Basanti (2006), and Taare Zameen Par (2007).