Piyush Mishra: NSD ke baare mein puchhoge toh main ro padunga

It was an unfiltered, emotional Piyush Mishra at the NSD campus when he visited to speak to students about his college days. Between sher-o-shayari, songs, and musical compositions, he spoke about theatre and how it remains his passion. Remembering his NSD days, he shared on an emotional note, “Yaaron ne kya sambhala mujhe. Roti ke paise nahi thay aur doston ne chicken khilaya, bus mein chadhne ke paise nahi thay aur main auto mein ghoomta tha, five-star mein jata tha... NSD ke baare mein puchhoge toh main ro padunga. Itni khoobsurat zindagi bitayi maine NSD aur Mandi House mein.”
He said that he has spent over 20 years of his life in immense struggle, but the next 20 were better than what he could have ever imagined.

‘MERE TEACHER NE KAHA THA TUMSE NAHI HOGI ACTING’
Addressing drama students in the audience, Piyush shared that he has dedicated nearly 40 years of his life to theatre, it’s still his biggest passion. In fact, he remembers the exact date when he caught the acting bug. “It was January 1, 1985. The play was Hamlet. Mujhe nahi maloom tha ki acting mein itna zor lagta hai.”
He recalled how one of his teachers had dissuaded him from acting. “Mere teacher ne kaha tha tumse nahi hogi acting. Go back to your state (Madhya Pradesh) and join some service. Main bahut roya, bada pareshan hua.” Consequently, Piyush trained under that same teacher. “Uske baad toh dekha hi nahi mud ke. Pata nahi kya ho gaya. Hum toh pagal thay, matlab. Acting kaise nahi hogi?!”
Piyush shared, “Yahan par ek Kathak Kendra tha. Mere ek saath chhe meri saari kanyaon ko le kar bhaag jayega!”
‘ACTING NASHA THA HUMARE LIYE’
Piyush recalled how he and Irrfan watched Martin Scorsese’s King Of Comedy, starring Robert De Niro, and said, “Humne dekhi aur humne kaha – aisi acting nahi ho sakti. Kya kar raha hai ye. Humne teen ghante tak zabardast analyse ki woh film, teen beer ki bottle pe. Acting woh nasha tha hamare liye... NSD mein koi baat hai. Humne ghaas khayi hai NSD ki. Humne Mandi House ke kis kis kone mein acting nahi ki hai!”
‘There is no method for acting’
After doing theatre for years, Piyush started doing movies. “I did Maqbool, Gangs Of Wasseypur. But cinema could never become my passion. My passion has always been theatre.” He paused and added, “Jab tak acting bhookh nahi ban jati, pyaas nahi ban jati tab tak acting nahi kar sakte. I wanted to know everything about acting. Aaj 40 saal uss process se guzarne ke baad main phir se 40 saal pehle ke uss circle pe aa gaya hoon – acting aaraam se hoti hai, talleenta (patience) se hoti hai, acting ka koi method nahi hota. Agar hota hai toh har bande ka apna-apna method hota hai... Toh ye maine socha aaj se 40 saal pehle jaisi acting kar rahe thay ab aisi acting karunga. Yehi soch kar maine Tamasha ki.”
‘Be it Ik Bagal or Aarambh, I write songs in two days’
It was actor and theatre director MK Raina who recognised Piyush Mishra’s talent for writing songs. Piyush said, “Sabse adhik aasaan kaam meri zindagi mein hai gaane likhna. Ik Bagal Mein Chand Hoga maine likha tha 1996 mein (which was used in Gangs of Wasseypur in 2012). Ab hit ho gaya toh log uska arth nikaal rahe hain, poochh rahe hain – kya soch ke likha tha? (Laughs) Kuch soch ke nahi likha tha. Ik Bagal ho ya Aarambh Hai Prachand (from Gulaal), har gaana main do din mein likh deta hoon.”


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