The last time Prasoon Joshi penned lyrics for a film was for Manikarnika: The Queen Of Jhansi in 2019. Ask the writer-poet about his absence since, and he shares, “I had accepted the responsibility of the Chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) at a time when there were many challenges. My integrity and honesty demanded that I maintained a certain distance from work that is to be certified to remain unbiased. That led me to restrain my pen in the last few years. It was a phase, and I can see myself gradually moving on to what I love, which is writing and creation.”

Joshi recently forayed into play writing with the musical Rajadhiraaj: Love. Life. Leela. Recalling the “soul-enriching” experience, he says, “I had written many plays in college life, but the scale of this musical, the 20 original songs that are sung live and the music got me excited. I believe in venturing into underexplored and intricate subjects. Now, I am working on some more musicals, web series and a book.”

The Padma Shri recipient adds that striking a balance between his role as the CBFC head and a writer isn’t easy. “I accepted the role (at CBFC) when criticism about the certification body was all around. I tried to create as much positive change, be it digitizing processes or striking a balance between artistic freedom and societal sensibilities. Doing all that sans unnecessary confrontation did take a toll,” he says.

Meanwhile, speaking of the trend of recreation of old songs in Hindi films and OG lyricists expressing discontent for not getting their due, Joshi says, “Classics always have a place in the heart, but we need fresh, high-calibre work in film songs. Mindlessly catering to the lowest common denominator or being insecure about crediting high-calibre writing and not giving it its due isn’t right. The audience, too, needs to demand better-quality writing.”