Vishal Bhardwaj: My nazms seemed like pirated copies of Gulzar Saab’s

Director Vishal Bhardwaj opens up about his first book of poems, ‘Nude’. The book was released by Gulzar at the Times Litfest. Vishal express what took him such a long time to write a book. He admitted that being a poet’s son he was inclined towards ghazals and nazms, especially the works of Dr. Bashir Badr and Gulzar. Vishal said he was doubtful about his own poems and didn’t want to read them out loud to his friends. The director also said he feels incomplete as a musician, writer, and director, he said he wants to focus on one field.


“My nazms seemed like pirated copies of Gulzar Saab's and since I was never serious about shayari, I never tried learning it. But sometimes, when I'd sit with Gulzar Saab, he'd ask me if I'd written something and I'd shyly recite some of my poems. Then, a year ago, he suddenly gave me an ultimatum, telling me he was sending them to Harper Collins to publish as a book.”


“The poems traverse from verses which are achingly reminiscent of old-world romance lost to an era of gadgets, instant messaging and WhatsApp break-ups, where love is invited to tiptoe into a wakeful sleep, to a searing comment on a man being roasted for having 'cow meat' in his home and the dark paradox of the elite dining in five-star hotels outside which half-naked, starving urchins beg for crumbs. The job of a poet is to react to his surroundings. Sahir (Ludhianvi) did it in the past, Gulzar Saab and Javed (Akhtar) Saab have done it more recently. I am not doing anything new. It's a more responsible way of reacting to the socio-political environment than taking out a morcha or going on a hunger strike. But the fact is that the film-maker only reflects society on screen, he doesn't create it.”


Vishal on the title of the book, “The idea is not to titillate with the physical form but stimulate an intellectual debate with visions of shivering children and a 'naked' Parliament. The idea is not to question the government but to question society and its diktats. The idea is not to stir up controversies but to create something new.”


He talks about his upcoming projects, "I have been exploring a subject called Churiya for which I have been talking to actresses. But I'm not sure if it will be my next film. I need two actresses who can pass off as sisters and I would need to shoot it by March-April, before the summer heat, so for now, let it just be verse," he signs off with a smile.