Lyricist, script and screenwriter Manoj Muntashir , who has given words to beautiful songs like 'Galliyan,' ' Tere Sang Yaara ,'' Kaun Tujhe' among others, was recently in the city to attend a private event. Manoj, who was born in Amethi , a small town in Uttar Pradesh , believes that he is fortunate enough to be born in UP which has groomed him in the expertise of words. "Hailing from a small town Amethi, which is actually a small town with fields all over and then rising to such fame was not easy. But yes, I would give credit to my birthplace which has helped me a lot during the course of my journey in writing lyrics. I attribute all my work to the kind of language used in this region and I strongly believe that my connection to UP has contributed a lot in my giving award-winning lyrics to the industry," claims Muntashir. Manoj, who is very frequent to Lucknow, says that coming here is just like a homecoming. "One thing I would like to say that Lucknow has become very cool and has become a modern city of India which has balanced everything, whether we talk about its culture or its tehzeeb to its modern hangouts," says Manoj.Manoj Muntashir (BCCL/ Vishnu Jaiswal)He adds, "There are youngsters, when you’ll talk to them, you will realize that they are equally talented compared to people from any part of India.”Recalling his childhood days in Amethi, Manoj said, “I remember how I used to visit Lucknow from Amethi with my friends. My father, who was a farmer in Amethi, in fact, he is still a farmer, used to teach me farming. I also remember how I used to play with my friends in his field. There is a beautiful memory of my childhood that I have, ki jab dhaan lagane ka time ata hai toh there are a lot of women who plant saplings in the paddy. So the beautiful song that those women used to sing while planting the sapling, still attracts me even today when I visit my village. The words were beautiful and magical that even today when I am stuck somewhere with my lyrics, I take my inspiration from them." Adding further, he says, "I remember how I used to travel 14 kilometres to school every day, raaste mein khoob masti karna and even school se wapis aatey waqt bhi. Those are the memories which have nourished me and nurtured me and whatever I am today, the credit goes to my upbringing."Talking about the remixes of the 70s songs which have become the latest trend in Bollywood , Manoj has his own view of it. "I don’t see any problem in recreating or remixing old songs and presenting them as new ones. It is bringing alive and old song which the newer generation of today would perhaps not even know about. I have done so many remixes and even won awards for them."He further goes on to add, "See, as a society we have become very impatient. We are a fast-moving society. Now as the music producer or makers of the music, we know that as listeners, the audience is not patient enough to let the song seep into their soul. So if a listener does not get connected with any song, they immediately discard it. They will say ki nahi yeh song acha nahi hai. So now, everybody is trying to get something which the audience is already familiar with. So recreating such kind of music has become a necessity for us because audience does not have patience in them to listen and pay attention to a new song."“Now the problem is that the strike rate of music is very less. The strike rate is, unfortunately, less than 10 per cent. This shows that out of all the songs that we write, only nine or ten catch the attention of the listeners. So those 90 songs are discarded and they are not getting their due. It's a huge blow to the industry. Recreations or remixes are the safest thing for us, and there are recreations which I have done like 'Mere Rashke Qamar,'' Aashiq Banaya Aapne' and 'Pyaar Maanga Hai Tumhi Se' which have become big hits," says he, adding, "I agree to this that there is a lot more scope of creativity when it comes to music and lyrics but the market forces us to recreate music. We are in the commercial industry, we are not writing for ourselves but the market wants to play safe, which is depicted by the choice of the people. So the audience cannot easily shrug off their responsibility if we are recreating and if we are trying to get the old music back rather than bringing something unique, the responsibility rests on the shoulder of the audience as well. Now music is something which is predominately ruling our mind and I feel that my words have that power which can make the film a super duper hit. It should at least give 10 crores ka opening on Fridays. I don’t want to be taken as, ki yeh insaan toh sirf creative likhta hai, I do creativity but we have to consider the commercial angle also. Aap producer ke paise par tamasha nahi kar sakte hai as you are being paid for every hard work we put in and we get various awards for the same. Toh as lyricist we need to keep all the market factors in mind and not just be creative in writing. We cannot neglect either aspect."Talking about the change in time where earlier the lyrics of the songs were more meaningful rather than the ones which are today, the lyricist remarks, "The problem today is that we cannot make those old songs again. The song 'Dhundo Dhundho Re Saajna Mere Kaan Ka Bala' cannot be recreated because time has changed. And I attribute these writings to straight forward talks. Beating around the bush was a fashion way behind in the early 70s. I am not saying ki woh bura tha as they were more metaphoric, more poetic. And in today’s time, we just talk straight. A boy will not go to his girlfriend and say ki tumhari zulfon main chaand chhupa hai, not at all. He will just say will you go out on a date with me. Toh jo samaaj main hai, hum wahi toh likhenge!" Adding, Manoj says, "I think this is the best time to write, according to me, because the youngsters today are far more alive than us, they try to live each moment of their life, they are far more aware of their surroundings than us."— Prachi Arya

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