When Swanand Kirkire finally got admission in the National School of Drama, he was overwhelmed with the fact that he was going to study in an institute that produced legends
Navneet Vyasan (HINDUSTAN TIMES; January 23, 2020)

Born to a family of classical singers, lyricist Swanand Kirkire has tried his hands at almost everything. From writing dialogues to acting and playback singing, his long list of accolades stands testimony to the talent he possesses. “Both my father and mother were classical musicians, but they were not professionals. Back then, it was not easy to become a professional musician. But it was a passion for them,” he says, adding, “But my uncle used to do theatre, and I used to go with him for rehearsals. That’s when I realised that I really liked theatre.”

And this fascination for the stage, in fact, encouraged the National Award winner to apply for the National School of Drama (NSD). “It was a game-changer, and a little difficult for me,” he adds.

Kirkire adds that he got in at his second attempt. “I failed the first exam and it was an eye-opener for me. I was overwhelmed with the fact that I was appearing for an examination for an institute which has produced legends such as Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri and Shabana Azmi,” he says.

“But after I got in, I was exposed to the world. Coming from Indore (Madhya Pradesh) to Delhi, which is the cultural centre, I got exposed to a lot of things. Delhi has all the embassies, where you get to see films of different languages, theatre in different languages, etc. Then I started working for a group called Act One. This group’s alumni include Manoj Bajpayee, Shoojit Sircar and Piyush Mishra and that was really inspiring,” he adds.

Till date, Kirkire has won two national awards, first being in 2006 for the song Bande Me Tha Dum, from Lage Raho Munna Bhai, and second being for Behti Hawa Sa Tha Who from 3 Idiots (2009).