Piyush Mishra: Being an entertainer and an intellectual is a rare combination

Actor-singer Piyush Mishra, who spent the formative years of his acting career in Delhi, talks about his love for the city and his next book.

“Mandi House, Mandi House, Mandi House”, these are the words that resonate when we ask actor-singer Piyush Mishra about his memorable years in the Capital. “NSD, mera campus, main bahut zada attached hoon iss jagah se (I am very attached to NSD and my campus),” he says. Mishra, who graduated from the National School of Drama in Delhi in 1986, feels that the city has transformed over the years. “Ab toh Dilli hi nahi lagti hai, sab kuch badal gaya hai. Flyovers vali Dilli maine dekhi nahi kabhi. Mere time mein yeh sab kuch nahi tha (It doesn’t feel like Delhi anymore, everything has changed. There were no flyovers at my time),” he says.

Actor-singer Piyush Mishra is in the process of writing a book, which will give a glimpse of his life. (Prabhas Roy/HT)

He feels that one should be able to adapt to situations. “Yeh complex hota hai ki hum toh chote sheher ke bande hain, humaare norms hain. Hum khichdi khaane vale bande hain..aise log fraud hote hain. Jab tak aap har mahaul mein nahi khap paa rahe, tab tak aap fraud hain,” he explains.

Mishra is in the process of writing a book that will be a documentation of his life in three cities— Gwalior, Delhi and Mumbai. He says that even though he is the main protagonist, the book is a fictitious account. “ It is not an autobiography. Usme ek character hai jiska naam hai Santaap Trivedi aur voh travel karta hai iss tarah se. It has glimpses of my life,” he says.

Piyush Mishra always carries a pen and a diary with him.

Like a real writer, he keeps a pen tucked into his t-shirt. “Main bahut likhta hoon. Jeb mein diary bhi hai mere.” He dismisses even the thought of writing on a mobile or a tab.

With stardom comes the expectations of taking stands on current topics and being answerable to the public. Mishra, who has worked in films like Gulaal (2009) and Gangs of Wasseypur (2012) says that they are entertainers and people put them on an intellectual pedestal. “Entertainers hote hain hum log, humein zabardasti intellectual banaa diya jaata hai. Bahut rare combination hota hai ki banda entertainer bhi hai aur intellectual bhi hai. Bombay mein toh padhta-likhta koi nahi hai. Bahut hi kam logo ka interest hota hai padhai likhai mein,” he says. What if he is put in a spot? “Mujhse poochta hai koi toh jahaan tak jawaab de sakta hoon, deta hoon,” he says.

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