Rinky Kumar (DNA; August 1, 2018)

Swanand Kirkire wears many hats with aplomb. He is not only a lyricist but also an associate director, a writer and a playback singer. The 46-year-old, who has acted in Hindi films and did a bit role in a Marathi movie Pune 52 earlier, (2013), now plays the lead in the recently-released Chumbak. The award-winning lyricist plays a mentally slow man, Prasanna, in the Marathi production, which is presented by Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar. The story is about the unconventional friendship between a 15-year-old boy, Baalu, and Prasanna that forces the former to make a choice between his dreams and morality. The movie, which will be screened at the ninth edition of Indian Film Festival of Melbourne (IFFM) next month, is garnering great reviews.

However, it was a chance encounter that helped Swanand bag the role. He says, “The film’s producer, Naren Kumar called me a few years ago as he wanted me to write the songs for Jolly LLB (2013). At that time, it didn’t work out due to some reason. Later, he got in touch with me again. I presumed he wanted me to pen the lyrics for The State Vs Jolly LLB 2 (2017) as he was backing that movie too. But instead, he narrated Chumbak’s script to me. I heard it out and really liked it.” What appealed to the National Award-winning lyricist was that the story gave him an opportunity to play a mildly-autistic person. He elaborates, “Prasanna is a simpleton at heart. He is gullible and trusts people easily. While portraying such a character on screen, you always have a fear that you might go overboard.”

Later, he did a workshop with his co-actors. Swanand says, “We had to work on the internal as well as external process. Also, in cinema, you need to add an entertaining touch to every character. So, I added small quirks like wearing sneakers instead of formal shoes, so that there is a child-like swiftness when my character walks.”

The multi-faceted artiste emphasises that with Akshay backing this slice-of-life film, it has helped the flick reach out to more people. “When we were making Chumbak, we had no idea where it would head and how it would shape up simply because we are not from the Marathi industry per se. When Akshay saw it at MAMI and decided to come on board, it was a huge honour for the team. We are still pinching ourselves that he is presenting the movie,” exclaims Swanand, whose next project is the Kajol-starrer Helicopter Eela for which he has penned the lyrics.