Starting out as journalist, Neelesh Misra covered conflict and insurgency for two decades, traveling deep into Kashmir, Naxalite-dominated areas of cental and eastern India, and the north-east. He received the Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism and the K.C. Kulish Memorial Award in the year 2009. He has written five books, including The Absent State (2010), which he co-wrote with Rahul Pandita, 173 Hours in Captivity and End of the Line: The Story of the Killing of the Royals in Nepal.
Neelesh started his career as a Bollywood lyricist while researching for a book in Mumbai. His debut song for Jism (2003) was followed by immensely popular songs like, Kya Mujhe Pyaar Hai, for Woh Lamhe (2006). He wrote over twenty songs in fifteen films. In 2012, he co-wrote the screenplay for Ek Tha Tiger, starring Salman Khan, along with Kabir Khan. His widely loved radio show, Yadoon Ka Idiotbox on BIG FM 92.7 revived the art of oral storytelling in India. He also hosted The Neelesh Misra Show on 93.5 RED FM. In late 2012, he, along with Karan Dalal, started India’s first rural newspaper, Gaon Connection. Since 2018, he’s been hosting a long format interview show, The Slow Interview With Neelesh Misra, in a rural setting. The people interviewed include Manoj Bajpayee, Pankaj Tripathi, Sanjay Mishra, Ayushman Khurrana, Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Kumar Vishwas, Anubhav Singh Bassi, Vikas Divyakirti, Chef Ranveer Brar, Gaur Gopal Das, among others.