19 Interesting Things You Didn’t Know About The Man Of Limitless Talent Piyush Mishra

Zinda ho haan tum koi shak nahin, saans lete hue dekha maine bhi hain
Haath aur pairon aur jism ko harqatey khoob dete huey dekha maine bhi hain
Ab bhale hi yeh kartey huey honth tum dard sehtey huey sakht see lete ho
Ab hain bhi kya kum tumhaarey liye, khoob apni samajh mein toh jee lete ho

Yes you are alive; of this there is no doubt. I, too, have seen you breathe. I have seen you moving your hands and legs and body perfectly. Although while doing this, you sew your lips shut and suffer the pain. It is no minor achievement for you, after all, to feel so very alive in your own perception.

The very feel this poem can bring about in us, as we read it, sinking deep into our ship of philosophies, tasting the scar of our rebellious phases, its hard to imagine a class eight boy with such deep thoughts. A lyricist, music director, an actor, a singer, Piyush Mishra is a huge success in everything he has done so far. A silver lining in his own life and an inspiration to many!

Here we bring to you interesting things about the genius Piyush Mishra:

1. Piyush Mishra was born in Gwalior to Pratap Kumar Sharma and was adopted by his father’s eldest sister Taradevi Mishra, who had no children

2. His maiden name was Priyakansha Sharma, which he changed to Piyush Mishra while he was studying in class 10th

3. Before getting into theatrics and acting, Piyush Mishra had tried his hand at sitar, an activity very well synchronised with his ingenious talent for music

4. After an attempt at sitar, he had moved on to Sculpting, from the Gwalior College of Sculpture

An unfortunate failed attempt, however, brings about his versatile spirit he is so well known for!

5. He graduated from NSD (National School of Drama) in 1986. With NSD being his happy place, in his third year, he was directed as title role in Hamlet, by the German director, Fritz Bennewitz

He considers this his acting breakthrough, while being introduced to a universe of techniques and reforms in the field of acting. He recalls it as his first tryst with stardom!

6. Coming from a tortured childhood, Mishra despised his father, who saw nothing but failure in his son.

After the opening of Hamlet, and a picture in TOI, did he understand his son’s potential.

7. Piyush Mishra’s first significant role in theatre was in a Kala Mandir production, Dilli Teri Baat Niraali.

The play reflected the revolts in 1857 after being cast in a Sanskrit play, Bhagavadajjukam.

8. 1996 saw the launch of Piyush Mishra’s solo shows, An Evening with Piyush Mishra

9. Mani Ratan’s Dil Se (1998) is Piyush Mishra’s first debut film.

He played the role of a C.B.I investigating Officer in Dil Se.

10. The film, The Legend of Bhagat Singh (2002), for which he won the Zee Cine Award for best dialogues, was based on his original play, Gagan Damama Bajyo

Half of the screenplay of the movie was taken exactly from his script for the play.

11. His problem with alcoholism started when he had joined theater group ‘Act One’ in 1990.

12. Claimed to having killed his morale during that phase of his life. He attended a course of Vipassana in Igatpuri in 2010.

He came out, stronger, wiser, a peaceful man.

13. While going through his various interviews, one has to acknowledge, how Mishra has his wife, Priya, seated on a pedestal.

Today, for him, nothing is more important than being a family man.

14. It took him only seven days to compose and write the music for the movie Gulaal.

Most of them were pieces he had composed for the theater.

15. Mishra moved to Mumbai in 2003. Born with an extraordinary talent for words, however, his work was only recognized after 25 years.

Some of the delay he commits to false ego, while being thankful to Anurag Kashyap for being his whetstone!

16. Along with the English rapper, poet and journalist, Akala, Mishra had written a powerful satire, ‘Tom, Dick and Harry’, which they have performed in the well-known music documentary, The Dewarists.

17. Piyush Mishra sang one of the memorable Coke studio songs, Husna in season 2.

18. Another song he sang at Coke studio, is Ghar in season 3. One more masterpiece.

19. In his 3rd year at NSD he was considered to play the lead role in the famous blockbuster “Maine Pyar Kiya”.

It still remains a mystery to himself as to why he refused Suraj Barjatya’s directorial debut. In an interview he said, “I presume it was for Salman Khan’s role. No regrets since that was the beginning of my grand obsession with theatre.”

Piyush Mishra continues to inspire us with his words, his life, his rebellious phases, his successes and failures, and most of all, his yearning for art and love!

Also read: 17 Lesser-Known Facts About Sanjay Mishra, A Powerhouse Of Acting