A tale of love and hope

KOCHI: Perhaps Vishak Nair is a soothsayer. The ‘Anandham’ fame actor’s debut directorial, a two-part music video series titled, ‘Roshewalla’, a popular Kashmiri folk song, resonates with the spirit of home and belonging, following the region and its residents’ state of mind. The series, which was released on July 31, a week ahead of the clampdown in Jammu and Kashmir, features Kashmiri folk-pop singer Aabha Hanjura. 

“The constant longing for home is something every Kashmiri has innately in them. Aabha wanted a story that captured such an emotion. We re-imagined the song; Not exactly a modern version but a fusion with a folk feel. And she wanted to execute the two-part music series, which probably has not been attempted in India before,” says Vishak. And indeed the music video series is unlike what one has seen before. Reinterpreting the strife-ridden province through personification, one can’t help but wonder at the accurateness depicted in the manner of fantasy.

Part one ‘Dilbaro Yuier Valo’ (Kashmiri) opens with a group of children waiting in anticipation at what lies behind a red curtain. They’re excited when the curtains reveal string puppets with Aabha crooning the upbeat song replete with folk instruments such as the Afghan-origin string instrument ‘rubab’ and Kashmiri-origin percussion instrument ‘tumbak nari’.

“We wanted to communicate the idea of love versus hate. This story is about marginalised people and Kashmiri music, something that not a lot of people are exposed to. Therefore, we considered elements along the same lines. Which made us turn into puppetry. One is traditional string puppetry, the other ‘tholpavakuttu’, or shadow puppetry. The puppets are essentially narrating a story which is a fairytale,” says Vishak.

And like every fairytale, the story comprises a hero, heroine and a villain. “The hero is a representation of the people of Kashmir. The heroine, a princess in love with the hero, personifies Kashmir and its beauty. The villain, an evil sorcerer, wants the princess all to himself. He epitomises all the existing vile sources.

He sends the hero away to the underworld and changes the blooming valley into a cold and dark environment, which is shown via shadow puppetry,” explains Vishak. The romance between lovers is set to the tunes of the melodious ‘rubab’ while the entry of the villain is characterised by the bass guitar, thereby distinguishing the shift in atmosphere in the song. 

Part two, ‘Chalo Chinaro Ke Gharon’ (Hindi) portrays homecoming and reblooming of the valley. “It ends on a positive note - that love ultimately triumphs,” he says. Produced by MadGenius Productions, based out of Kochi, the music video series is a simple and colourful take on love and hope. One prays that the same will align and that Kashmir will indeed be reclaimed to the right hands.