Man of multiple talents

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Ek Tha Tiger scriptwriter, Neelesh Misra is a journalist, lyricist, author, musician, advertising man and a radio show host. After a successful stint with journalism, Misra’s first Bollywood break came as a lyricist for the song Jaadoo Hai Nasha Hai in the Bipasha Basu starrer Jism.

Thereafter he never looked back. “I was brought on-board for Ek Tha.. as a consultant in the film. The story is originally by Aditya Chopra. But looking at the iconic level of the character and the magnitude of the story, I was asked to be the co-writer and I agreed.” The writer also heads a musical group called Band Called Nine. Something one may never expect from someone whose role in the group is just to write songs.
Despite being a successful lyricist, the passion for Misra remains storytelling, an art which he is trying to re-invent through his radio show Yaadon Ka Idiot Box on 92.7 BIG FM. Neelesh, who grew listening to RJs on Aakashwani and AIR says, “Storytelling is a dying art in India, and my only aim through this show is to re-invent that art in the current scenario while also playing some beautiful music from the past.”
“With cable TV, the need for fathers and grandfathers to tell stories is almost gone. It’s a very different world now. The show is a small attempt to bring back the purity of radio,” says Neelesh, who has also written three non-fiction books.