Short film 'Dharavi Hustle' captures evolving Hip-hop movement in Mumbai

Beatboxer Abhishek with rappers Sayyed Ali Faisal Siddhesh from 7Bantaiz and Tony from DopeadeliczMoulin Rouge filmmaker Baz Luhrmanns Netflix series Get Down chronicles Hiphop when it was taking shape in the Bronx New York City The cultural phenomena that Hip hop has become not just as a music genre but as a lifestyle has its roots in the era that the show captures on the small screen The recentlyreleased short film Dharavi Hustle from music portal BAJAAOs collaborators director Sachin Pillai and executive producer Bhanuj Kappal is a peek into the Hiphop culture evolving right here in the cityUnlike the young money rapping that mainstream American Hiphop promotes the movement here is dedicated to real issues ldquoWe rap about the things that matter to us mdash education electricity violence and the hypocrisy of societyrdquo 18yearold Faisal aka Young Ghalib tells us on our visit to Matunga labour camp Rappers and beatboxers from the crew 7Bantaiz and Dogz do a cypher informal jam in front of a wall that has Dope spray painted on it In fact entire facades of two buildings bear largescale murals by taggers like HHB the likes of which are seen only in the BronxGraffiti especially when its illegal is part of the Hiphop lifestyle as is the dance form Bboying that has become the focus of young kids looking to burn off their angst and energy Initiatives like Dharavi Project have older Bboyers like Akku and Vicky from the Slumgods crew teaching brake dance to younger kidsldquoHiphop is essentially about storytelling about marginalised voices making themselves heard through music and dance In India where the mainstream is dominated by a handful of narratives and so many of our massive population is deemed invisible HipHop has the potential to change all of thatrdquo says Suman Singh CEO of BajaaocomThe Hiphop subculture in Dharavi is a fascinating mix of American Hiphop signifiers local language and ideas Dharavi Hustle lays it out all out in the rappers and Bboyers own words without the filter of patronising messaging about poverty and without the Slumdog Millionairetype narrative that is usually depicted in documentaries and articles talking about subaltern cultures emerging from lower income neighbourhoodsSays Pillai who shot the film ldquoThe challenge was for the camera to be a witness rather than an intrusive entity We spent three days following these guysrdquo The juxtaposition of cultures in the film is interesting Kappal recalls eating with the residents at a Ganpati pandal that had rappers in Tamil Marathi Hindi Malayalam besides the obvious English versesldquoThe coverage of the emerging Hiphop scene in Dharavi comes from the Wests poverty porn perspective We thought it would be great to showcase all the talent in the locality and talk about Dharavi and its Hiphop scene on their terms and using the voices of these artistesrdquo adds Kappal