I am letting my first love, poetry, take a new shape: Priya Malik
Poet-performer Priya Malik used the Kolkata leg of her farewell tour for her debut solo show to reveal her first film script, a Hindi project centred on poetry. “You’re the first person to know this,” she said, revealing that the beat sheet is complete, the screenplay is underway and pitches to production houses have begun. Malik was in the city to retire her first solo show after a three year run, making for an emotional night, though the show will continue with select bookings, while a new book and companion stage show are also in the works. In a converstaion with CT, Priya spoke about choosing Kolkata, criticism and the courage it took to write about her own miscarriage.
‘I don’t want poetry to lose its soul to the algorithm’
Priya believes she was among the handful of people who helped build India’s spoken word scene roughly ten years ago, when it “wasn’t even a career”. She has since watched it grow from open mics into sold out, ticketed shows, alongside peers such as Aman, Nayab , Yaya and Haley, who now tour internationally. The growth has also drawn criticism, with purists taking issue with her departure from traditional poetic forms and her fluid mixing of Hindi, Urdu and English, or “Hindustani”, as she calls it. Her response is blunt: art exists to reach people, whether through a live show, an Instagram reel or a Kindle edition. What concerns her more is poetry losing its soul to social media’s algorithm driven, 30 second reel culture, which is why she continues to value small, culturally rooted venues over virality.
‘Poetry comes first , that will never change’
Despite her reality TV fame and acting credits, Malik says her core identity has remained unchanged: she was writing poetry at 12 and performing on stage from five, long before cameras entered her life in her thirties. That grounding, she said, gave her the confidence to write about her silent miscarriage and other painful experiences, turning vulnerability into material that helps audiences connect with her.
Looking ahead, she confirmed that her book, centred on the seven stages of Sufi love, is due out within two months, alongside a stage show of the same name. She also revealed that her first film script, co-written with a collaborator who approached her after watching one of her shows, is centred entirely on poetry, a world she believes Hindi cinema has yet to explore meaningfully. “I’m no longer interested in coming in front of the camera a lot,” she said. “I’m more interested in being behind the camera, doing my writing, enjoying my performances.”
‘It is time to say goodbye , but I’m giving this a beautiful turn’
Malik didn’t shy away from calling her decision to retire the show painful. She described it as ending one relationship before starting another, comparing it to “my first baby, first love affair”. Quoting poet Sahir Ludhianvi , who said that if you can’t give something a beautiful ending, give it a beautiful turn instead, she was clear that this isn’t a shutdown. The show will continue with corporate and private bookings, while international dates in Europe and the US are already being planned, adding to a run that has already taken it across much of the world. It remains, she said, particularly special as her first ever solo act.
Kolkata is truly the city of joy – its food, the saris, the poetry, the history of Tagore. I’ve written a poem just for this city, which I perform only when I’m here, in Kolkata, nowhere else
Goodbyes are hard, but they’re also necessary. It’s like a relationship – you must fully end one before beginning another. This show was my first baby, my first love affair. So I’m giving it a beautiful turn
‘Kolkata’s literary spirit makes the city special’
Explaining her personal and cultural connection with Kolkata, Priya spoke of her longstanding affection for the city, from its food – aloo posto and machher jhol being her faves that she even cooks at home, to its saris and Jamdani weaves and its literary legacy as the city of Tagore. She revealed that she has written a poem exclusively for Kolkata audiences, which she performs only when she is in the city, and said performing here carries a different weight because the audience arrives already steeped in poetry and literature.
‘I don’t want poetry to lose its soul to the algorithm’
Priya believes she was among the handful of people who helped build India’s spoken word scene roughly ten years ago, when it “wasn’t even a career”. She has since watched it grow from open mics into sold out, ticketed shows, alongside peers such as Aman, Nayab , Yaya and Haley, who now tour internationally. The growth has also drawn criticism, with purists taking issue with her departure from traditional poetic forms and her fluid mixing of Hindi, Urdu and English, or “Hindustani”, as she calls it. Her response is blunt: art exists to reach people, whether through a live show, an Instagram reel or a Kindle edition. What concerns her more is poetry losing its soul to social media’s algorithm driven, 30 second reel culture, which is why she continues to value small, culturally rooted venues over virality.
‘Poetry comes first , that will never change’
Despite her reality TV fame and acting credits, Malik says her core identity has remained unchanged: she was writing poetry at 12 and performing on stage from five, long before cameras entered her life in her thirties. That grounding, she said, gave her the confidence to write about her silent miscarriage and other painful experiences, turning vulnerability into material that helps audiences connect with her.
Looking ahead, she confirmed that her book, centred on the seven stages of Sufi love, is due out within two months, alongside a stage show of the same name. She also revealed that her first film script, co-written with a collaborator who approached her after watching one of her shows, is centred entirely on poetry, a world she believes Hindi cinema has yet to explore meaningfully. “I’m no longer interested in coming in front of the camera a lot,” she said. “I’m more interested in being behind the camera, doing my writing, enjoying my performances.”
‘It is time to say goodbye , but I’m giving this a beautiful turn’
Malik didn’t shy away from calling her decision to retire the show painful. She described it as ending one relationship before starting another, comparing it to “my first baby, first love affair”. Quoting poet Sahir Ludhianvi , who said that if you can’t give something a beautiful ending, give it a beautiful turn instead, she was clear that this isn’t a shutdown. The show will continue with corporate and private bookings, while international dates in Europe and the US are already being planned, adding to a run that has already taken it across much of the world. It remains, she said, particularly special as her first ever solo act.
Kolkata is truly the city of joy – its food, the saris, the poetry, the history of Tagore. I’ve written a poem just for this city, which I perform only when I’m here, in Kolkata, nowhere else
Goodbyes are hard, but they’re also necessary. It’s like a relationship – you must fully end one before beginning another. This show was my first baby, my first love affair. So I’m giving it a beautiful turn
‘Kolkata’s literary spirit makes the city special’
Explaining her personal and cultural connection with Kolkata, Priya spoke of her longstanding affection for the city, from its food – aloo posto and machher jhol being her faves that she even cooks at home, to its saris and Jamdani weaves and its literary legacy as the city of Tagore. She revealed that she has written a poem exclusively for Kolkata audiences, which she performs only when she is in the city, and said performing here carries a different weight because the audience arrives already steeped in poetry and literature.
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