Baatein Dil Se With Navika Kumar: From First Meeting With Amitabh Bachchan To Adipurush Failure, Manoj Muntashir Gets Candid

Lyricist

and writer Manoj Muntashir recently opened up about different phases of his professional journey. From talking about his humble beginnings, the equation that he shared with his late mother, to his first meeting with Amitabh Bachchan, and more, he got candid like never before on Baatein Dil Se With Navika Kumar. Muntashir also shared his thoughts about the Cockroach Janata Party-led student protests over the NEET paper leak. Other than that, he reflected on the box office failure of Prabhas and Kriti Sanon's Adipurush. The lyricist admitted that the Om Raut directorial was the 'biggest mistake' of his life. Check out the highlights here:

Manoj Muntashir's first meeting with Amitabh Bachchan

Recalling his first meeting with Amitabh Bachchan, Manoj told Navika Kumar, Times Group Editor-in-Chief, that he was nervous. The lyricist remembered walking into a room where the actor was being presented with plans for Kaun Banega Crorepati. When Muntashir finally met him, the Bollywood megastar asked what he writes. To which, the lyricist mentioned that he writes songs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsPvEQOrdv4&t=5913s

What happened next? Manoj told Big B that he wanted to recite something. "Aur wahan maine kuch bhi bolna shuru kar diya. Bas lagataar bolta gaya. Unhone mujhe beech mein rok kar kaha, "Tumhari bhaasha bahut achhi hai. Kahaan se aaye ho?" Their meeting ended with Manoj telling Big B that he had come from Amethi and the actor acknowledged it. Later, KBC producer Siddhartha Basu reached out to the lyricist and informed him that the actor loved his work. "Welcome on board," the message from the show's producer read. Manoj Muntashir reacts to CJP-led student protests Moving on, Manoj also shared his thoughts about the ongoing protests over the NEET paper leak. The lyricist stated that he woud never go the Jantar Mantar to participate in the protests as he doesn't believe in Cockraoch Janata Party's ideology. "I don't feel comfortable standing with those who are currently leading this movement there. The youth of this country deserve better leadership than the CJP."Talking about the exam paper leaks, he added, "Nobody in this world will defend the NEET paper leak. Even if a single life was claimed, then the entire system will have to be answerable." That said, the lyricist stated that theCJP-led protest has deviated from its original topic. "Are they even talking about the NEET paper leak at Jantar Mantar? I have been seeing the kind of speeches being given and the kind of people coming. People who believe in 'Bharat tere tukde' are joining. People who don't consider Kashmir a part of India are arriving," said Manoj.

Manoj Muntashir: Adipurush was biggest mistake of my life

In this conversation, Manoj also reflected on the box office failure of Adipurush, which featured Prabhas and Kriti Sanon in lead roles. The lyricist admitted, "Adipurush was the biggest mistake of my life and to defend that film was an even bigger mistake." He futher spoke about feeling ashamed about everything that happened around the movie.

For the unevrsed, the Om Raut directorial was criticised for more reasons than one, including its dialogues. "Now when I look back, I am ashamed that I wrote them (dialogues). I don't know on which trip I wrote them," he said in Hindi.

Manoj Muntashir remembers his late mother

Continuing the free-wheeling conversation, Manoj remembered his late mother. The lyricist said, "My mother has been my rock. Har maa aise hi hoti hai. Toh agar hum maa ko special batana chahe na, toh main kabhi ye nahi kehna chahta ki meri maa badi alag aur special (thi) - meri maa sirf maa thi. Itna kaafi hai. You don't have to be anything else or anything more."

All About Baatein Dil Se

Baatein Dil Se is a brand new podcast from Times Network, one of India's leading broadcast networks. It is hosted by Navika Kumar, Editor-in-Chief of the Times Group. After decades of hard-hitting debates and prime-time interviews on national television, Navika has now stepped into a more personal and reflective space with this podcast, having already interviewed esteemed guests like Satinder Sartaaj, Anupam Kher, Kriti Sanon, Bobby Deol, and more.Watch the latest episode featuring Manoj Muntashir on the official Times Now YouTube channel.