The gods have listened to Shomeshwar Oli

Right now, among Bangla movie songs that hold a dear place in people's hearts, 'Ishwar' from the movie 'Priyotoma' tops the list. 

The lyricist of this song is Shomeshwar Oli. With this one song, Oli has finally carved a niche for himself in the field of songwriting, after a career of more than four decades. 

The release of a song usually brings the singer or composer to the limelight. However, this time, all eyes are on Oli. So is Oli enjoying all the attention?

In his eyes, the freedom to write is what matters the most. The reception of readers, listeners or viewers is an additional reward. The song 'Ishwar' allowed Oli to experience creative freedom, and the ensuing discussion and analyses, along with its popularity and success, has brought him great joy.

"I experienced complete freedom in writing the song 'Ishwar.' I am now enjoying the fruits of that freedom," said Oli.

Oli's peers within the industry have said the song has introduced a new dimension to Bangladeshi cinema.  

"Some have remarked that the impact of the song will resonate in the industry in the years to come. This is very intriguing for me. I am really enjoying my time right now, as I am getting more challenging tasks of writing unique songs."

Typically, lyricists remain somewhat in the background, and some artists don't even mention the name of the lyricist when performing. Oli has his own perspective on this.

"My job is to write. I don't want to concern myself about things outside of that." 

Oli feels his responsibilities conclude within the initial stage of the release of a song. 

"Whether it comes to dealing with an artist, a news outlet, or anyone else, the lyricist often stays at a distance and is overlooked by many. While some recognise their contribution, the majority don't," Oli said.

When 'Ishwar' was being written, Oli didn't anticipate it would resonate so powerfully with the listeners. Oli's process of writing the song was no different to how he approaches every other song. He has a tendency to accumulate his thoughts and unfinished lyrics on notepads, which may eventually take years to take the form of a song.

"I had the line 'Ishwar ki tomar amar milon likhte parto na' written long ago. After listening to Priyotoma's storyline, I sat down to write the entire song based on the scene," he said.

After the groundbreaking popularity of the song, Oli has received proposals to write songs for at least 15 films from both Bangladesh and Kolkata.

"Within a week of 'Ishwar's' release, I was approached to write songs for various Kolkata films; and I've already sealed a deal for one," added an excited Oli. Even though he had collaborated with Kolkata artists remotely in the past, this is his first instance of writing songs specifically for Kolkata films.