India, May 2 -- Following his recent appearance in the OTT series Bandwale, Swanand Kirkire, who is juggling projects as an actor, lyricist and director, opens up about steering clear of item songs and the rise of hyper-masculinity in Bollywood.

Talking about his selective approach, the lyricist of Baawra Mann Dekhne Chala Ek Sapna (2003), he states, "Item songs toh main likhta hi nahin hoon, aur main khush naseeb hoon aise gaane likhwane wale log mere paas aate bhi nahin hain. It saves me from a lot of things."

Discussing the current musical landscape, the 54-year-old accepts the ongoing trends. "We are living in a phase of hyper-masculinity, and that songs are being written and working because the audiences are liking it," he notes. H...