Who says regional music can’t be trendy? In 2015, The Moonshine Project in Film Nagar became the first venue to host bands that play regional numbers starting off with artistes like Shiv Menon, Niraval and Capricio. Fast forward to 2018, and the banging club has upheld its status as an open-to-all-genres hub. Tonight, a night of music courtesy Chennai-based Jhanu and Kulam, as well as Telugu rapper Pranav Chaganty, and local bands Capricio and Jammers lure you in with their unique brands of tunes.
Where every venue had similar artistes play commercial and Bollywood numbers, The Moonshine Project believed that regional and folk numbers were integral to Telugu culture and gave the artistes all the freedom to play as they please — something for which artistes are pretty thankful.
Mayur Jalan of The Moonshine Project, says planning such a night wasn’t always so easy, explaining, “The owners, being inclined towards folk music, always enjoyed these bands, which acted as a bonus. Although the crowd loved this fresh breath of air, a lot of other venues claimed this was a bad idea.” But that didn’t stop them.
Filmy flavour
This year Regional Music Fest will have a filmy touch — ideal for Rajnikanth fans.
Jhanu Chanter is best known for his metal-infused melodies in singles such as Prachanai and for his work on the Rajnikanth films Kaala and Kabali . He’s also the bassist of Kulam, a three-piece band with vocalist and guitarist Pradeep Kumar and Tapass Naresh on drums and percussions.
While Jhanu and Kulam will be playing some of the best Telugu and Tamil folk rock, prominent rapper Pranav Chaganty will play his hit from Kabali and Kaala . The versatile rapper often shares he feels blessed, having gone from filling in small slots to being musical backbones in some film music.
“Hits such as Hyderabadi Chai and Pani Puri , which have gone viral, are favourites among the crowd,” he explains, “But when Telugu rap is integrated in film music, there’s a message there. That evolution is truly remarkable. I also focus my raps on prominent figures such as K Viswanath as well as social issues such as rape and other injustices. The Telugu language makes it so much more impactful and being someone who only did well in Telugu at school, I feel this is my calling. Telugu rap is all about the lyrics and at the show tonight, I’ll see two kinds of appreciation: one towards Telugu as a language and the other being about rap itself.”
So while further enlightening the crowds of the huge scope for Telugu rap, Pranav is looking forward to the future of the art itself, adding that as long it’s done with all of one’s heart, anything is achievable.
To add to the local flavour, Capricio and Jammers will play some of the best folk hits.
The Regional Music Fest will be taking place at The Moonshine Project on May 20, starting at 6pm. Tickets are ₹500 per person and are available at bookmyshow.com
