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Talking Songs: Javed Akhtar in Conversation with Nasreen Munni Kabir and Sixty Selected Songs
This book is centred around an engaging and lively conversation on the Hindi/Urdu film song between the renowned poet and lyricist, Javed Akhtar and documentary film director and author Nasreen Munni Kabir.
One of the first on the subject, the book also includes a selection of sixty songs written by Javed Akhtar for the many hugely successful films to which he has contributed. These songs are a reminder of the excellence of his work and for those unfamiliar with Hindi/Urdu, English translations are
also provided.
It is an established fact that the Indian film song enjoys an enormous impact, and has always been a vital part of the national culture. For the reader, it is a rare privilege to discover the thinking that went behind a song that can be heard in a billion homes. This book will interest and appeal
to Hindi film and music buffs within India and outside.
One of the first on the subject, the book also includes a selection of sixty songs written by Javed Akhtar for the many hugely successful films to which he has contributed. These songs are a reminder of the excellence of his work and for those unfamiliar with Hindi/Urdu, English translations are
also provided.
It is an established fact that the Indian film song enjoys an enormous impact, and has always been a vital part of the national culture. For the reader, it is a rare privilege to discover the thinking that went behind a song that can be heard in a billion homes. This book will interest and appeal
to Hindi film and music buffs within India and outside.
- GenresPoetryNonfiction
248 pages, Hardcover
First published May 12, 2005
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 27, 2018
A journey where you will understand what Indian cinema is all about.
March 11, 2021
Javed Akhtar was a script writer for the ages. Along with partner-in-crime, Salim Khan, he scripted some of the best films of the 70s. His tryst with poetry began much later, once the fabled duo parted ways.
This book, a companion of sorts to Nasreen Munni Kabir's earlier conversation with Akhtar on films, is much smaller - 60 odd pages of conversation, and the rest a collection of Akhtar's lyrics, translated by Ms Kabir.
In those 60 pages, Akhtar manages to explain his love for language, the difference between writing poetry vs. writing lyrics, how he fashions lyrics to a tune, how context makes the difference… he speaks of romance and how that drives lyrics, of his admiration for the stalwarts who went before him – Sahir, Majrooh, Shakeel, Shailendra… He makes no bones about his contempt for what (mostly) passes off as lyrics in recent years nor his disdain for the double entendre that many lyricists fall back upon.
Ms Kabir’s conversational style keeps you hooked as Akhtar is indeed a fabulous subject for a book based on conversations. Her questions are on point, and shows that she is listening to the answers, instead of going in with a prepared questionnaire. Each subsequent question comes from the answer to the previous one. She is also adept at bringing the conversation back to the subject when it meanders as conversations will. The informality serves the book well, because we get a sense of Akhtar’s voice instead of Ms Kabir’s. The book gives the reader a ‘fly on the wall’ experience when two people were talking privately, and that’s to Ms Kabir’s credit.
The songs and their translations may be of some interest to someone who doesn’t know Hindi/Urdu but would like to understand lyrics better, but I was left wishing that the conversation had indeed gone on longer.
This book, a companion of sorts to Nasreen Munni Kabir's earlier conversation with Akhtar on films, is much smaller - 60 odd pages of conversation, and the rest a collection of Akhtar's lyrics, translated by Ms Kabir.
In those 60 pages, Akhtar manages to explain his love for language, the difference between writing poetry vs. writing lyrics, how he fashions lyrics to a tune, how context makes the difference… he speaks of romance and how that drives lyrics, of his admiration for the stalwarts who went before him – Sahir, Majrooh, Shakeel, Shailendra… He makes no bones about his contempt for what (mostly) passes off as lyrics in recent years nor his disdain for the double entendre that many lyricists fall back upon.
Ms Kabir’s conversational style keeps you hooked as Akhtar is indeed a fabulous subject for a book based on conversations. Her questions are on point, and shows that she is listening to the answers, instead of going in with a prepared questionnaire. Each subsequent question comes from the answer to the previous one. She is also adept at bringing the conversation back to the subject when it meanders as conversations will. The informality serves the book well, because we get a sense of Akhtar’s voice instead of Ms Kabir’s. The book gives the reader a ‘fly on the wall’ experience when two people were talking privately, and that’s to Ms Kabir’s credit.
The songs and their translations may be of some interest to someone who doesn’t know Hindi/Urdu but would like to understand lyrics better, but I was left wishing that the conversation had indeed gone on longer.
August 6, 2025
Nasreen Munni is one of the finest interviewer especially in long form content of bollywood rivaled only by Anupam Chopra.
September 14, 2019
Excellent book on Bollywood songs and their making. Interesting read!
December 17, 2022
Interesting read !
September 23, 2009
On the face of it, this book looks a very simple - a 60 odd pages length conversation of a lyricist and an interviewer and then a whole lot of Hindi songs penned by Javed ji and their translations in English. It is when you get to start reading and understand the nuances as being explained, of poetry, of language, of love, of romance, of work as an artist, of art as a mundane worker, of stalwarts of Hindi film music, of everything an enthusiast of Hindi film music would love to learn that you would find it hard to put down the book. For me the interview part was more than enough. The songs and translations might of interest to the ones who like Hindi music, but aren't adept in the language.
Over all, a rare book on Hindi film music.
Over all, a rare book on Hindi film music.
September 20, 2015
The book is good, especially if one would want to read/translate lyrical notes to understand the context of songs. Only 52 pages are in a dialogue format with the author,while rest are lyrics and its translation. This book details on legacy that JA has carried from his father and grandfather (Jan Nisar Akhtar and Muzter Khairabadi) and how a person who was known for strong dialogues (leaving little space for songs as said in the book) transformed himself into a full time lyricist. JA does not mince words to criticize music in past few decades or comparing to political speeches which he seems to consider venomous. Page 49 has reference to Walter Stein, I am not sure if that is correct or whether it should be Walter Langer. Nonetheless, it conveys the message.
July 28, 2016
A short interview with Javed Akhtar.
If you are a poetry writer you can read this book.
If you are a poetry writer you can read this book.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews