With the advent of sound, Hindi songs acquired a grammar of their own, thanks to the introduction of songs as a part of the narrative - a tradition that is unique to Hindi cinema. This gave rise to a class of professionals who acquired a star status that was in the league of the actors themselves - the lyricists. Rajiv Vijayakar's book chronicles the journeys of leading film lyricists - from D.N. Madhok and Pandit Pradeep to Amitabh Bhattacharya and Irshad Kamil, including stalwarts like Shakeel Badayuni and Sahir Ludhianvi, Majrooh Sultanpuri and Anand Bakshi, Gulzar and Javed Akhtar - who have woven magic with the written word. Filled with trivia and never-before-heard-of anecdotes, Main Shaayar Toh Nahin is an introduction to the contribution made by some of the finest wordsmiths to the Hindi film industry.

About the Author

Rajiv Vijayakar was on the National Film Awards jury twice. He is part of the core content team of the Indian Music Experience Museum in Bengaluru and author of The History of Indian Film Music. His paper, 'The Role of a Song in a Hindi Film', is part of the syllabus for South Asian Cinema Studies, University of Edinburgh.