In the Hindi cinema industry where most lyricists are men, Priya Saraiya is among the few women who are making a mark for themselves and changing the trend. Priya, who is more popular as a singer, particularly for hits such as Sun Sathiya from ABCD2, Maa Ka Phone Aaya from Khoobsurat, has also penned Sun Sathiya. Among the other songs that she has written, Saibo from Shor In The City is a huge hit, and so is Jeena Jeena from Badlapur.
“I was always keen on writing right from when I was in school. In fact, I had a personal diary in
which I would put down my thoughts. By the time I was in standard 10, my diary was full. A few of my friends read it and they encouraged me,” recalls Priya. When the music-composer duo, Sachin-Jigar were working on F.A.L.T.U. sometime in 2010 they were looking for a new writer who would come with a fresh approach for this film that was about young, college students. While they were scouting for people, they came across Priya’s profile on Facebook where she had posted some of her writing and mentioned she was an aspiring writer.
“They approached me, and said they don’t have a budget and asked if I would like to write some scratches. I agreed because I wanted to see if I would be able to write for Bollywood or not. That’s how my journey started,” she says. Since then, there has been no looking back for the young woman. Though she started as a lyricist, Priya’s melodious voice too got noticed by music composers. Since she is a trained Hindustani classical singer, singing is something that comes naturally to her.
“I used to sing with Kalyanji-Anandji’s (music composers) group but I never thought I would sing for Bollywood. It was just a passion, I never looked at it as a profession,” offers Priya. But destiny had other plans. Priya has been singing since F.A.L.T.U. — her first film as a lyricist, but it was Sun Sathiya that
put Priya in the limelight. Now that she is married to Jigar, from the Sachin-Jigar duo, Priya along with her husband is completely dedicated to the music industry. “We are figuring out a way to balance our professional and personal lives. It’s difficult, but we are managing,” says the singer who will be releasing two new singles — one in Hindi and one in Gujarati in the near future.
ayeshatabassum@newindianexpress.com
@aishatax