In conversation with Anoop Lather, in a session titled after his song Ek Bagal Mein Chaand Hoga, Piyish Mishra spoke about his struggling years as an actor and his bond with Delhi on Day 1 of the fest. “Dilli se mera rishta kuch aur hai. Dilli meri mehbooba hai, aur Mumbai se meri shaadi ho gayi hai. Jab bhi mauka lagta hai Dilli zaroor aata hoon.”

Sharing his affection for Gen Z, he said, “Main Gen Z se bahut pyaar karta hoon. Gen Z se koi parhez nahi hai. Bade achche log ho tum, bas thodi jaldbaazi kar jaate ho woh alag baat hai.”

With his signature tongue-in-cheek humour, he added, “Main perform youth ke liye karta hoon, lekin ek bada aarop hai tumhare upar. Hamare zamane mein mohalle mein ek phenomenon hua karta tha – pita hua aashiq. Woh tumhari generation ne gayab kar diya. Romance ka ek ajeeb-o-gareeb tareeka nikaal liya hai. Tumhare breakups hote hain, dil nahi toot’te. Tum logon ne lutf khatam kar diya hai. Prem ke bina zindagi kuch bhi nahi hai.”

The actor, who spent 20 years in Delhi’s theatre circuit before moving to Mumbai to pursue films, shared that he still enjoys visiting the campus. “NSD ne mujhe sab kuch diya hai.”

He added that his home in Mumbai is always open to struggling artistes. “Jo log struggle karte huye akela mehsoos karte hain, unke liye ek parivaar hai Mumbai mein. Mujhe koi parivaar nahi mila apne time mein, lekin main woh sahara banna chahta hun. Jo bhi Mumbai aata hai, mere ghar mein you’re most welcome.”