With inputs by Majid Alam:
In a dimly lit studio in the bylanes of Laxmi Nagar, Pushpak is distributing sweets on the occasion of his latest track. It’s the morning after the Balakot attack and he has written a song called ‘Humra Hindustan par phir se aankh na dikhaaiwe Pakistani s**la.’
“This is a proud moment for me. My song is the first ever song on the attack, even before someone thinks of writing on the attack. I’m sure it will garner views,” says Pushpak.
The Bhojpuri music scene and election campaigns have collaborated since years. As election season begins, there is a rise in demand for singers for stage shows and campaigns for political parties. The emergence of political stalwarts such as Delhi BJP Chief Manoj Tiwari (formerly an actor in the Bhojpuri film industry) shows how the industry is intertwined with politics. However, earlier the songs themselves were apolitical to a larger extent.
Since 2014, political songs have emerged as a popular genre in Bhojpuri music. Armed with You Tube as their distribution channel, every politician and every political rife is fair game for the singers.
While the digital space has democratised the Bhojpuri music industry, it often gets the singers into trouble. Praveen Samrat is a well-established singer who is now filming his first Bhojpuri movie. He had written a satirical song on Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Sonia Gandhi. “FIRs were filed and people were infuriated. The song got me into so much trouble that I abandoned it. Even if you ask me today, I will deny that I ever sang a single verse of that song,” he quips.
But that hasn’t stopped Praveen from singing political songs. Praveen has just finished recording his latest track ‘Mera Balma Chowkidaar Hai.’ He believes one needs to get smart about political undertones whilst connecting with audience sentiments.
“I knew I wanted to keep chowkidar in the lyrics, because it will show up higher in the YouTube search. At the same time, I don’t want to make direct references and get into trouble,” says Praveen while brainstorming with his producer on the keywords and hashtags they should put with the song.
While Praveen records his song, there is a huge hustle across the street. Word is that BJP MP Rajnath Singh will be visiting the neighbourhood to launch the ‘Main Bhi Chowkidar’ campaign. When Praveen gets to know about it, his eyes light up. He hopes the buzz around the word will bring attention to his song.
However, the singers and producers are cautious about declaring their political leanings. There is an awkward silence when we ask Praveen’s producer about his favoured party. “That conversation is only between me and the ballot. I’m open to recording political songs for any party that comes to me. Whether work comes from BJP, Samajwadi Partry or the Congress, it is just work.”
In the current political scenario, celebrities are ascending towards politics which is very different from their current acting profession. However, in case of the Bhojpuri industry, that is hardly the case. Politics and vulgarity remain the two major themes of Bhojpuri music and the Bhojpuri artiste does not shy away from taking political sides.