After The Pill, an award-winning short film, Priyanshu Modi marked a personal milestone with a special book reading held in Delhi on August 14, launching his debut poetry book with close industry friends and family coming together to uncover some of his deepest thoughts and emotions.Talking about the night, Priyanshu Modi, filmmaker, writer and creator, said, “This was a dream of mine for 13 long years, and having my friends and family attend my book reading made this book launch one of my core memories. The exchange of ideas, thoughts and perspectives on life was exactly how I had imagined the night to be. It was raw, honest, and yet something that stays with you for life. My book, Poems For Cigarettes, is all about empathy, intimacy, and everything personal – and so was this night. As a filmmaker, I have always observed people, understood their emotions, and found stories in the most personal of moments. With this book, I found another way to explore that same instinct through words. In many ways, the launch felt like a coming together of these two worlds – storytelling through film and storytelling through poetry.”Influencers and artists including Ahsan Vazir, Tanya Bedi, Tanishka Bahl, Aashi Sahni, Hardik Arora, Ruchika Methwani and Arshan Ahmed came out in support of the young filmmaker. Priyanshu invited everyone into a world where poetry becomes a space for introspection, emotional honesty and connection, bringing together his sensibilities as a filmmaker and writer to explore the deeply personal experiences that shape human relationships and emotions.The book presents an honest and deeply personal collection of poems written across different phases of his life. His writing blends contemporary experiences with raw emotion, exploring themes such as loneliness, relationships, mental health, dreams, and hope. Rather than following conventional poetic forms, his work captures fleeting moments and everyday experiences with sincerity and vulnerability. His debut collection invites readers to connect with the emotions behind the words, encouraging them to find their own meanings in each poem.
