Asia’s largest Bollywood music festival, Gaana Bollywood Music Project (BMP), is back with a Bollywood bang. And the event’s second season is being organised at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi on January 27 and 28.Over 50 artists are performing live on a multi-genre platform being organised by Event Capital and TM Talent Management. “The festival installations are going to be larger than life and the eclectic experience has been curated keeping in mind the family audiences in Delhi. There will be a collaborative mix of Bollywood, Punjabi, hip-hop, Sufi, folk, funk and pop music,” says Swaroop Banerjee, CEO, Event Capital.
Among the prominent names are crowd favourites such as the evergreen band, Euphoria, and new-age singer Papon. The event will also see renowned lyricist and singer Amitabh Bhattacharya mark his onstage debut.Ask Euphoria what keeps drawing them to Delhi, and they exclaim, “It’s our home. It’s where our heart is. It’s like being blessed each time we take that stage.”
So, is there a song that they are keen on performing? And their ultimate go-to favourite? “Has to be Kabootar. We feel each time we play this song, Euphoria comes out in its full colour. It’s a no-holds-barred unapologetic progressive rock song. There’s not a single A-listed act that performs a song that sounds remotely close to this.”For Papon, who has his roots in Assam, Bihu is the one performance he looks forward to. “I like performing Moh moh ke dhaage, Jhumur, and Saahil. But Bihu makes people dance, and everyone loves the energy,” he smiles.
His journey from Assam to Bollywood has been eventful. Born into a musical family, his father is a folk legend. But it was only in Delhi that he seriously began to think about music as a profession.
About Bollywood, he says, “With film music, you’re telling someone else’s story. It really pushes you out of your zone, and often you have to understand a different style, music, and mood. It gives you a lot more perspective, your dictionary of expression increases and it’s a great learning process.”
He also believes that music from the Northeast is aesthetically unique as compared to the rest of India.
Euphoria’s Palash Sen says, “If you take the Indie musicians out of Bollywood, you won’t be left with anybody. We do not give two cents about an actor lip-syncing and acting cool on our songs. We are happy and good, the way we are. Films will come and go, but real music will always survive and thrive.”
Noted lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya will be performing in front of a live audience for the first time. He will be singing some of his popular Bollywood tracks and the songs he has written. “I am very excited to perform live. This is a very unique festival. I believe that this will be an ideal platform to do my first live performance. I am also working on a special musical act for music lovers in Delhi and I hope they enjoy it,” he says.
What’s Up Next?
Euphoria
An album, more songs, more
films and a host of gigs Papon
He is getting into composing music for a Bollywood project. He is also looking forward to working on his ghazal album, and might collaborate with a few international artists.
Amitabh Bhattacharya
Hopefully, more such live performances
Tickets on bookmyshow: https://in.bookmyshow.com/festival/bollywood-music-project