Piyush Mishra has always been known to be a superlative actor, though music has also been an indelible part of his creative pursuits. At 62, Mishra, whose acclaimed band Ballimaaraan is already very popular, is all set to embark on an extensive tour.

Titled ‘UdanKhatola’, the tour will span 15 cities in India, beginning from Calcutta on November 9. It will culminate with the release of its first-ever album in March. Before he takes over the mic for the performance, which is jointly produced by Tamboo Entertainment & Thinking Hats, at Science City on Saturday, Mishra chatted with t2.

Why the decision to start the UdanKhatola tour from Calcutta?

Calcutta is an art-loving city. There is a lot of respect for art there. We received a great response the last time we performed in Calcutta. The kind of show that we are coming up with this time needs a very receptive and responsive audience and I am sure that Calcutta will be one.

My expectation from the audience in Calcutta is that the lyrics of our songs will be communicated well. Our songs are all about their lyrics; we are a lyrics-oriented band. We aim to provoke people into thinking with our music. We sing with intensity and with all our heart. We have a lot of hope from Calcutta.

What is the thought behind the tour?

We wanted our music to reach parts of the country which may not have experienced our sound yet. Every time I have performed, I have been surprised to see how the audience has responded to my songs, written decades ago, and how they still resonate with people today. Our shows attract a wide audience, from 20-year-olds to 60-year-olds.

That is why we planned this extensive UdanKhatola tour, reaching places where we haven’t performed before and giving more people the chance to experience Ballimaaraan live.

The highlight of this tour will be a special ‘Entourage Tour Bus’ which the band will travel in and which will be a moving hub for spontaneous jam sessions, intimate conversations and stories that shaped our journeys.

The idea behind our music — and more so of this tour — has been to involve people in our music. We want our songs to be considered simple enough for everyone to be able to hum along. The high point of this tour will be our album, also named UdanKhatola, which we will release in March next year.

How do you feel being a rock star at the age of 62?

I don’t think of myself as a rock star. I am a performer. I enjoy singing as much as I love acting. As long as it feels like fun, I will keep doing it. The term ‘rock star’ is simply a byproduct of that. I didn’t want this to happen... in fact, I never believed that it would happen. I am 62 now. I never thought that I would be able to sing and release an album at this age.

You said you want the lyrics of your songs to resonate with the audience and that you would like everyone to be able to hum along to them. Do you feel that the Hindi film music of today has lost quite a bit of these two qualities?

That has definitely happened. Urdu poetry has all but vanished from our songs today. Earlier, Hindi film music had the likes of Sahir Ludhianvi, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Shailendra.... We had stalwarts like Jan Nisar Akhtar and Kaifi Azmi. We had priceless composers like Shankar Jaikishan, OP Nayyar, Naushad, Jaidev, Khayyam, RD Burman... look at all these names! Urdu poetry, basically, gayab ho rahi hain hamari industry se. There is an entire Gen-Z culture that has taken over, which can’t be stopped and I guess one has to adapt and adjust with the times.

But I am someone who still thinks that we can hold on to what has been partially lost because I have realised that there is a sizeable section of the audience that still favours retro music. We still have ‘Mohd Rafi Nights’, ‘RD Burman Nights’, ‘Kishore Kumar Nights’.... Kishore Kumar’s talent, of course, can’t be compared.

These stalwarts will always be remembered. The melodies of that time, the lyrics of that time, they will always be remembered. We are still trying to sustain these melodies, to hold on to them. But after my generation, I don’t know what will happen.

Even today, we still have some lyricists and musicians who are trying to retain that essence in their work. But we need more people to do that. Just a handful of people is not enough.

Besides the album, what is the way forward for Ballimaaraan over the next few years?

We started out being a band of three people... today there are 14 members in the band. When we first toured the US, the crowd erupted... they were surprised that this is a band from India that doesn’t sing Bollywood songs. The mission is to take that idea and thought forward.

We recently performed at the Ziro music festival in Arunachal Pradesh. We were actually pretty nervous before going on stage because it is a completely different kind of a crowd. In fact, we had Hanumankind performing on that day too. But we were pleasantly surprised by the overwhelming response we got there. That was when I realised that our band has a different kind of identity. People like and love us in a different way.

The aim of Ballimaaraan is to reach where we haven’t gone before... Agra, Gwalior, Kanpur, Jabalpur.... We want to go everywhere. We want our songs to be sung by children, to be understood by children.

Who has been your biggest influence?

Kishore Kumar. He was in a different league altogether because he was a singer-actor. His attitude and approach was very different.

What excites you as an actor now?

I am continuously learning, continuously exploring. Acting is a drug, it is madness. It will never stop, it will continue till I die.

A recent video of you performing with some of your drama school buddies, including Manoj Bajpayee, in a Doordarshan programme from the early ’90s went viral on the Internet. What is the story behind that?

It is from 1991. It was a play that we did... me, Manoj Bajpayee, Divya Seth, Loveleen Mishra and a few others. Barry John (theatre director and acting guru) directed it. At that time, we didn’t know that it would be such a major hit. After so many years now, it is alive again and has gone viral. Young people are watching it. It brings back so many lovely memories.