Having carved a niche for himself with critically acclaimed projects like Mirzapur and Pagglait (2021), actor Rajesh Tailang is all set to mark his debut as a writer with a compilation of poetry, titled Chaand Pe Chai. Though he had no plans of publishing his work earlier, it was the response that he received from social media that nudged him to don the hat of a professional poet.

He elaborates, “With the onset of the digital age, I began putting up my poems online. That’s when people began reacting to them, which encouraged me. Thereafter, I started a YouTube channel, where I started a series on poetry called Chaand Pe Chai, primarily for love poems. That has taken the form of a book now.”

What makes this passion project even more special for him is a note penned by lyricist Gulzar on the cover. Talking about how the veteran inspired him, Tailang says, “My initial poems are largely influenced by Gulzar saab’s work. With time and maturity, I learnt to grasp his art, craft, approach, understanding, and philosophy and not his form and content. This book would have been released earlier, but I was waiting for him to write something on the cover. That’s my greatest blessing.”

So, how did he discover his passion for writing poetry? “Maine pyaar mein kavitayein likhna shuru kiya tha. I wrote my first poem when I was 17 and I would send them to the women I loved,” Tailang says.

Quiz him about the millennial audience’s appetite for yesteryear poets and the Bandish Bandits actor shares, “The age of social media and information has helped the young audience be acquainted with the works of legendary poets. But, we often end up taking this easily available information for granted. And sometimes, the information is wrong as well.”