JOIN USArtistes want more Indian movies on hip hop
For a movie-obsessed nation like India, films sometimes act as a gateway to a phenomenon that had, till then, not permeated into mass consciousness. A recent example would be Zoya Akhtar’s ‘Gully Boy’ which introduced many to the world of rapping.
“The movie realistically portrayed the struggles of a common man who wanted to take up an offbeat career, but more importantly it made people understand what rap really is,” says
Abhishek (who goes by the stage name of Shastra), an MC with Kannada rap outfit ‘Rap Kavigalu’ and a music producer.
Saying that there is a need for more such movies focussed on arts and artistes, Abhishek says, “Instead of larger-than-life heroes, stories of real-life artistes who made it big can inspire people more.”
He has a point. Though biopics on sportspersons and actors (and now politicians too) are quite common, there are very few Indian movies on performers of modern art forms like a graffiti artiste, dancer or rapper.
The few ones that are made, though well-made, do suffer from some infirmities which might be quite common when a mainstream mass entertainer tries to capture the essence of an underground cultural movement, like in ‘Gully Boy’.
“It had less of rap battles and more of the emotional and family drama. It did make the story appealing but I would have liked to see more rap battles, like in ‘8 Mile’; that would have ignited a spark in people. After all, that’s what the genre is all about,” points out Abhishek.
There have also been talks about how the rap battles shown in the film were too personal (most of them had ‘customised’ insults) and went too soft on socio-political issues, a mainstay of real rap battles around the country.
Bengaluru B-boy Shawn says that Indian movies on hip-hop are meant more to entertain people than present a true picture of what the scene is like. “Life as a hip-hop artist is different from what they show. However, the movies inspire people to take up dancing and enjoy it; so it’s good that way.”
One of the very few mainstream Bollywood movies on contemporary dancing was ABCD: Any Body Can Dance and its sequel.
His elder brother B-boy Shane says that more than movies, documentaries help people gain inspiration as they give an unembellished picture of when and how things happened.
Both of them are winners of Red Bull BC One Cypher South Zone and will go on to compete in BC One Cypher India in Mumbai next month. It is a one-on-one breaking competition. Breakdancing, also called breaking or B-boying/B-girling, is a style of street dance and is one of the components of hip hop.
What more can be done?
“Movies can’t do the work of a movement,” said rapper Divine in a recent interview with Metrolife. True that, also since movies have been accused of commodifying hip hop and just trying to cash in on the fad. Artistes like rappers need more freedom to talk about subjects they like, without turning everything into a party anthem. For this, they need more independent venues and more audiences who are willing to pay and watch them perform.
Inspired enough to try your hand at hip hop?
If you are one of those who is fascinated by the hip hop scene but have never tried your hand at it, here are a few tips on how to start.
“In India the B-Boying scene is much better than what it used to be. From YouTube tutorials to classes or workshops by professional B-Boys, the chances to learn are many. The only criteria is a love for the dance,” says B-Boy Shawn.
“Travelling and meeting other breakers and understanding their backgrounds and lifestyles helps you learn breaking better,” adds B-Boy Shane.
Pointing out that movies can’t help you learn an art form, Abhishek says that inspiration can only come by observing and listening to other artistes.
“Listen to other artistes, observe how he thinks and go through what he’s saying. You need to study the works of many artistes, their content and flow and practise a lot to become an artiste. That’s what I did.”