Even after coming from a different generation, Saiyami Kher shares a special bond with Gulzar. On World Poetry Day today, the actor recounts how the veteran poet-lyricist’s words have impacted her. 

She says, “Gulzar sahab’s poetry transcends time and language barriers. They touch the soul with their beauty and depth. His words have inspired me in countless ways. The essence of his poetry, the intricacy of his storytelling and the sheer emotion woven into every verse have touched my life and made me a better person.”

The 89-year-old wrote Kher’s debut film Mirzya (2016). The 31-year-old recalls meeting him for the first time while attending a friend’s play that was written by Gulzar: “When I went to meet him, I thought he wouldn’t know me. So, I stood awkwardly in a corner and just smiled at him. Before my friend could introduce me, he said, ‘Arey, yeh to meri Suchi (her character in Mirzya) hai’.”

Kher reveals that she touched his feet and was too overwhelmed to say anything. Recalling her second meeting with him the next day, Kher says, “He is someone I want to hold on to closely. He had so much to teach me in just the first time we met.”

Kher still remembers her greatest learning from the veteran. She recalls, “He told me a story about how he used to throw stones at a mango tree growing up while there was an older man in the balcony seeing that. Through his poem, he recited his journey from being that kid to reaching that balcony and how time goes by so quickly.”

Kher and Gulzar’s discussions aren’t just limited to such deep issues: “The most beautiful thing about our equation is that we talk about the most random things. He is a big fan of Roger Federer (former tennis star), M S Dhoni (cricketer) and cricket. We end up talking a lot about sports.”

She says that her most memorable interaction with Gulzar was also the scariest. “He had written the poetry for our film 8 A.M. Metro (2023) and I had to learn to recite it from him. When he was speaking in front of me, I was trying to understand the metre of the poetry. But his voice, his diction and tonation, I just couldn’t help but get lost in it,” she ends.