Best known as the quirky VJ on a music channel who appeared in movies such as Rock On!!, Rise of the Zombie, Tanhaji and then on web series such as Sacred Games and Inside Edge, Luke Kenny is a popular face. However, what many don’t know is that the actor often doubles as a musician. He recently performed with his band in Mumbai as part of ‘No. 1 Yaari JamPad’ concerts.
On the rise of the indie music scene, Luke says, “Indie music has always been vibrant and active within the space it exists in. It has immense potential and minimal patronage. But what it currently lacks is investment, mentorship and infrastructure.”
Who are some of his biggest musical influences? “For me, internationally it’ll always be The Beatles. Their music and their craft of songwriting will always be the ultimate quality standard as an artist. From an Indian perspective, I would like to say mostly all the Indian film music composers and songwriters, for they are the ones who have shaped popular sound for the Indian masses for over a century.”
When it comes to Bollywood music, popular songs are copied or remixed. Luke opines, “Hindi music has always existed to serve the film it is a part of. And it has always existed as what we call the ‘navras’ concept that Indian storytelling consists of. And over and above it is also a medium to market the film itself. So, if the need arises where the audience is required to be placated by way of plagiarism or recycling (with or without reason), then who can stop that? ”
Luke has previously worked as a contributing editor for Rolling Stones India where he wrote two columns called ‘Lukebox’ and ‘Gig-A-Bites’. The internet describes him to be of Anglo-Indian ethnicity, a claim he vehemently denies. “I am not Anglo-Indian. My father was born in India, My grandfather was born in Myanmar (Burma), and my great-grandfather in Ireland. My mother was born in India. My mother’s parents were Italian. I am Indian by birth,” he avers.
Despite essaying memorable characters on screen such as Rob Nancy in Rock On!! and Malcolm Mourad in Sacred Games, lead roles have always evaded the actor. Even in his latest outing as Aurangzeb in Tanhaji, Luke is always seen playing the outsider. On the challenges faced while navigating Bollywood, he says, “As secular as the Indian film construct may be, appearances play a large part by virtue of it being a visual medium. It has come a long way from typecasting, yet it still has a long way to go.”
Despite the rise of the internet and new platforms, notions in Bollywood still largely remain the same. “During the pre-internet days, the Hindi film industry was a small well that survived on the business of mutual benefits. Post the internet, when it mutated into ‘Bollywood’, it became a larger playing field that had to reflect international attitudes. But in the bargain, it has merely become a larger well that still functions in a fairly similar beneficial fashion,” says the 58-year-old.