Conversation with Girish Puthenchery – Part 2

There would be no clear answer when someone is asked when he started growing moustache. Writing is similar. It was always a part of my life and I grew up in an environment which encouraged it. My mother knew Carnatic Music and father, Sanskrit. I was always an admirer of both music and poetry from afar. Naturally I wanted to be a writer and I perfected my art through rigorous practice.

Girish Puthenchery’s childhood was not easy. His father was paralyzed and the family fell into poverty. To get out of dark continent called Puthenchery to come into light took a lot of effort. That era was also different. Now if you have some talent, people are there to encourage you. It was not like that during my times. I worked as a associate script writer for Renjith, who has helped me a lot.

Girish wrote the Malayalam lyrics for Mani Ratnam’s Dil Se. It was during the composing of Dil Se that he met Lata Mangeshkar along with A R Rahman. “It is one memorable incident in my life.”

Meeting A R Rahman also was a memorable event. “I was in Madras writing lyrics for four movies. Then I got a call to write malayalam lyrics for Dil Se. The music director was A R Rahman. I was asked to meet Rahman at noon. Mani Ratnam’s secretary took me to Rahman’s studio at 11 am. Even by 3 PM, there was no sign of Rahman. I had lot of work and a song had to be recorded the next day. I came back to my room, completed the songs, handed it over and took the train to Calicut”.

“When I reached home, Priyadarshan had called. Mobile phones were not popular at that time. I returned the call and he wanted to know why I left without meeting Rahman. I told him the reason”.

“Did you see anyone while you were waiting in Rahman’s office, Priyan asked. A bald man was sitting and reading a book there, I forgot his name. Priyan told me that he was a famous Hindi film director and for one month he has been coming and waiting to meet Rahman”.

“I went to Madras again and met Rahman”. “Don’t you want to write lyrics for my tune”, he asked. I then sang nine songs composed by Rahman’s father and we became friends.

Sometimes there is a conflict between the poet and lyricist in Girish Puthenchery. Poems open up, search for something and the lyricist may not be able to get there. “Poems give you lot of creative freedom, from choosing the topic to writing style. A lyricist does not have that freedom. The topic and the music are decided by someone else. The lyricist props words into that framework.”

Girish has been writing for the past sixteen years. He also wrote a film story and screenplays. Vadakkumnathan, for which he wrote the story and screenplay is now getting completed. “Directing a movie is my dream now. The work for that is progressing. It will happen when the time comes”, Girish says.

PS:Varnachitram.com is a content partner of Take:1 magazine.

See Also: Conversation with Girish Puthenchery – Part 1