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

Beatboxer Abhishek with rappers Sayyed Ali, Faisal, Siddhesh from 7'Bantaiz and Tony from Dopeadelicz

Moulin Rouge filmmaker Baz Luhrmann's Netflix series Get Down chronicles Hip-hop 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 recently-released short film Dharavi Hustle, from music portal BAJAAO's collaborators, director Sachin Pillai and executive producer Bhanuj Kappal, is a peek into the Hip-hop culture evolving right here in the city.

Unlike the young money rapping that mainstream American Hip-hop promotes, the movement here is dedicated to real issues. "We rap about the things that matter to us - education, electricity, violence and the hypocrisy of society," 18-year-old Faisal aka Young Ghalib tells us on our visit to Matunga labour camp. Rappers and beatboxers from the 'crew' 7'Bantai'z and Dog'z 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 large-scale murals by 'taggers' like HHB, the likes of which are seen only in the Bronx.

Graffiti, especially when it's illegal, is part of the Hip-hop lifestyle as is the dance form, B-boying that has become the focus of young kids looking to burn off their angst and energy. Initiatives like Dharavi Project have older B-boyers like Akku and Vicky from the Slumgods crew teaching brake dance to younger kids.

"Hip-hop is essentially about story-telling, 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, Hip-Hop has the potential to change all of that," says Suman Singh, CEO of Bajaao.com.

The Hip-hop subculture in Dharavi is a fascinating mix of American Hip-hop signifiers, local language and ideas. Dharavi Hustle lays it out all out in the rappers and B-boyers' own words, without the filter of patronising messaging about poverty and without the Slumdog Millionaire-type narrative that is usually depicted in documentaries and articles talking about subaltern cultures emerging from lower income neighbourhoods.

Says Pillai who shot the film, "The challenge was for the camera to be a witness rather than an intrusive entity. We spent three days following these guys". 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 verses.

"The coverage of the emerging Hip-hop scene in Dharavi comes from the West's 'poverty porn' perspective. We thought it would be great to showcase all the talent in the locality, and talk about Dharavi and its Hip-hop scene on their terms and using the voices of these artistes," adds Kappal.