From past few decades the Bengali
music industry has got an add on of a different group of musicians, with a
different sense of performance. As we used to see in old days one lyricist, a
composer and completely isolated set of musician who used to compose Bengali songs
either for cinematic purpose or a solo album. But with the change of sense and
western influence, their evolved a new era of Bengali musicians who perform as
a group with lyricist, vocalist, and musicians together & with that, the
term Bangla Band popularized in our society.
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| RUPAM ISLAM |
Today there are many such groups
of Bangla Bands have established themselves in the music industry. When we start
our discussion about Bangla Band music we can not dispense one name from the
list, that is Fossils and the front man of the group Rupam Islam.
Rupam is the person who have
brought up and established the music of inner emotional turbulence of young
generations and also make it possible to spread such music (considered as ROCK)
to each corner of Bengal, which was initially not happened with Mohineer
Ghoraguli or Other Bengali Bands.
Recently a popular Face of Aakash
Bangla Channel Mr. Ayan Chakraborti has made it possible to make a documentary
on Rupam. He shared his passion for Rupam and reason behind his creation with KHYAPAR
KHULI.
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| AYAN CHAKRABORTI |
Is this documentary only on the life of Rupam or his Band Fossils?
No, this documentary is made only
on Rupam.
Why did you choose to make a documentary on Rupam Islam?
Rupam’s songs are giving me
company for a long period. I am a big follower of his songs- their composition
and lyrics, his performance, his stage presence and his vocal power. In the
beginning of 2011, while shooting for a programme called “R2T2’ for Akash
Bangla TV channel, I had a wonderful long chat with Rupam-during which I came
across the singer and writer and the real human within him, and I felt that I
needed to start documenting on him and his contribution in Bengali culture. And
I began work immediately.
What are the main aspects you wanted show us through this documentary?
Rupam had been brought up in a
mixed environment of different religions and cultures. His father is a Muslim
and his mother- a Christian. The place where he works is geo-politically a
Hindu dominated one. Through this documentary, I have tried to portray how this
mixed cultural upbringing has influenced and moulded Rupam as an artist and
also as a human being.
Why did you choose Rupam among all the other Bengali Band singers as a
subject for your documentary?
In the peaceful world of Bengali
songs, Rupam has stirred up quite a sensation. After Rabindranath Tagore, one
who consistently came up with good Bengali songs was Suman Chattopadhyay aka
Kabir Suman. But the Bengali band movement had not started yet. Then there was
the band- Mohiner Ghoraguli-but they also failed to spread their influence
beyond the urban upper middle class youth generation. Fossils was the first
Bengali band that broke the barrier that existed between rural and urban
audience. Nowadays, the experience that I have at Nazrul Mancha or Nicco Park
Big Lawn, the same experience I can have at Medinipore, Bankura, Purulia,
Siliguri or Bardhaman- 3000 to 5000 or 10000 young audience listen spellbound
to Bengali songs for hours on end. They sing on with Rupam, even his recently
launched songs are learnt by-heart and sung by this young audience along with
him. The sight is really a spectacular one.
(INTERVIEW TRANSLATION BY PRITAM BASU)
(EDITING BY KHYAPAR KHULI)
