“Do you want me to write a song for it?” That was lyricist-singer Swanand Kirkire’s reaction when director Avinash Arun offered him Three Of Us. His response was natural since acting offers don’t come too often to him —this, even though he won a National Award for his performance in Chumbak (2017). 

“Acting has never been my bread and butter. But I loved the script of Three Of Us. When Avinash said he wanted me to play the husband’s role, I was happy because that’s the character I love the most,” says Kirkire.

The drama revolves around Shefali Shah’s Shailja, who revisits her former lover Pradeep—played by Jaideep Ahlawat—as she begins losing her memory to dementia. Kirkire as her husband Dipankar completes the love triangle.

“You see the film through his eyes because you’re as uncertain about Shailja and Pradeep’s friendship as he is. He is the only one who shows his insecurity, the only one with a reconciliation graph. Another thing that drew me to him was that he didn’t understand poetry and music. That was a challenge for me because I earn my bread and butter through them.”

At a time when larger-than-life cinema is drawing audiences, it’s a feat in itself to have a mid-sized film on the big screen. Kirkire credits Arun’s compelling storytelling for it. For him, the film’s victory also lies in the fact that it is fronted by middle-aged actors.

“There was a time when at 40-plus, female actors’ careers would be over. Today, they are ruling the OTT space—from Sushmita Sen to Raveena Tandon. Shefali is one of the examples of a great talent leading many series, and now a film. Young people also need to see such films because they will get old some day.”