Leaving Home, and the relevance of Indian Ocean
Anyone who has spent the hostel life in India post nineties wouldn’t have missed the exotic intoxication of Kandisa, or the melodic persuasions of Maa Rewa. I for one didn’t catch them early(thanks to the lack of our hostel’s collective I.Q.) but it was a day at a music store that I was rather annoyed by the unending plays of Kandisa, that I decided to pick it up to see what the fuss is all about. The melodies have held on since then, and Indian Ocean has been a constantly gratifying musical and spiritual experience. To know their music and to wonder as to how through all the 15-16 years these handful of songs came to be, has been a quest as enchanting as their ever-unrelenting interludes.
Jaideep Varma’s LEAVING HOME is an amalgamation of all these thoughts. An approach which is elemental, a pace which is attuned to the band’s energy, and an undeniably reverent approach constitute what is the only rock-documentary/music chronicle of our times, and an important one at that. Just recently, I discussed the evolution of this genre in the west, and how things have come of age through the decades, changed the norms of documentary film making, added the weight of expectations, and the future. We here were fortunate in getting to watch this Indian documentary this weekend, and the response and the general vibe around makes one only hopeful.
The film chronicles the lives of the group through live performances, rehearsal sessions, flashback narratives,, and casual conversations, but what is does through all these seemingly conventional docu-devices is that it brings the band, in its very personal and a tad melancholic tenor, closer to the audience. And hence the relevance. Relevant to our times, relevant to our music, and relevant to the very craft and the direction in which we are headed in terms of craft.
The film opens up very characteristically in Varma’s un-exotic street shots, soon you are taken to a quick recap of the band through what looks like a media footage. A few minutes into the talking heads and you are transported to their adda in Delhi’s Karol Bagh. Here they come across as a family, a regular one, their daily share of aspirations and monotony, only that this family does something rather off the beat-music. The band members-Susmit Sen(Guitar; angelic, almost like Buddha on Leads), Asheem Chakravarty(Percussion-Tabla, Tarang, Vocals; classical in inspiration, believer in God and divinity, music is the portal to salvation kinds, treats the classical legends as his musical gods and albeit in a fraction, aspires to get there some day), Rahul Ram(Bass Guitar, Vocals; the man you would love to watch and listen to, the most educated of the lot for no fault of his, the ITO stroller, the Cornell graduate, the sometimes environmentalist and sometimes storyteller) & Amit Kilam(Drums, Gabgubi, Occasional Guitar; the youngest of the lot, brimming with life, he is the only member who does not look down upon the days they whiled away in no hope, he calls it investment, always learning a new instrument, always experimenting and making faces while he plays the guitar, which the ultimate object of his obsession), go through myriad days of living together as they relive their experiences, how they came together into the current scheme of things, how this became more of a collective decision as they faced the regular challenges of a family and an alternate livelihood, parental expectations, the disappointments that come along the path of pursuing a passion and living with them, and most importantly, create music amidst all this-sticking together and following the one thing that brings their ways together. Not that this is unprecedented in the history of bands or never told before on camera, the unassuming curiosity with which the film investigates and builds on this musical climax of sorts is what makes LEAVING HOME special. And having a Hille Le for the end credits can hardly go wrong.
I had been following what Jaideep has been writing on this film and Hulla all these months, and to be frank, it made me a little cynical; the kind of falling of expectation levels that happens sometimes. HULLA proved me wrong in ways I could never imagine. And LEAVING HOME now keeps coming back to my head in so many different ways. I was a little wary also of how the audience would respond. But few minutes into the film and the worries took wings and flew away. Not only did we have a packed house, everyone was alive, and reacting to the songs and the stories the film conveys. And this was different from a live concert; perhaps somewhere mid of a live concert and a documentary which engages the open mind. Of course there are points where one cant resist handling it all to the music, but the way the structure is revealed, with restrains in place in form of conversations, flashbacks makes one relate to in a rather broader sense. And it is little wonder that Jaideep, with his famous repertoire at writing on music, understands the nuances of songs, and how to introduce them, step by step, breathing, taking a sound check, building the tempo, and taking a breather again before the explosive lead saves the day.
The film also touches upon many a burning and dismal issues of the music industry, like the absurdities of the trade, placing sleaze over originality, pop over folk etc. SUDHIR MISHRA makes some very relevant points here, in his very pleasantly political tone. So does PIYUSH MISHRA. Then there is the eternal dilemma of choosing a passion over livelihood, something which doesn’t need much elaboration here. Then there are the family sessions, done in a personal touch, one does not feel intruding, it feels like sharing a meal or meeting for a recommendation of school. And we get to see the man behind all those sufi-induced lyrics, Sanjay(Sanju) and how the group almost equivocally happens to like what he comes up with.
Then there are the musical connections, which range from Yo-Yo Ma(Cellist from China) to Shubha Mudgal to Rabbi to Kailash Kher to Pete Seeger and Vikku Vinayakram…
As of me, the film made me rethink of INDIAN OCEAN’s music, their whole anthology, their earlier albums, and things I never happened to think of before. I never felt like playing DESERT RAIN this much. And now when I hear VILLAGE DAMSEL, DESERT RAIN, EUPHORIA, BOLL WEEVIL, FROM THE RUINS, GOING TO ITO & MELANCHOLIC ECSTASY(the tracks in the album) closely, it makes more sense than ever before.The songs appeal to me untainted from the populist association of their latter numbers, they retain the goosebumps of a live concert, they retain the wild imagination of a jamming night. The only recent album I felt this way for was AR RAHMAN’s Connections, a score that will find it’s audience some day. I could think of the tracks from CONNECTIONS, like Mosquito, Mylapore Blues, Kural etc and think of them in parallel with an album which was ‘accidentally’ created by INDIAN OCEAN. If VILLAGE DAMSEL is close to the ‘maajhi re’ style of Bengal, DESERT RAIN is unapologetically Rajasthan in its mood, execution, approach, build-up and rhythm.
Likewise, I never really thought of why BLACK FRIDAY is the way it is, the music I mean. And when I listen to the sax-induced pieces(Memon’s House, Pre-Blast), I only dig them deeper and their high production standards, which still retain the characteristic rawness. AMIT KILAM is the man behind those grand pieces, everywhere from the arrangement to the conception to the backing vocals to the wonderful keyboards to parts of recording and production. Now who knew that! I didn’t. This is a score comparable to the works of TRILOK GURTU, JAMES ASHER, KARSH KALE, even TAUFIQ KUREISHI and SHAKTI at times.
And it is LEAVING HOME to thank for a sudden reawakening of what was their debut album of sorts. I mean I have grown on KANDISA, JHINI & BLACK FRIDAY, but DESERT RAIN is what currently has got me all hooked. The film extensively reconstructs the coming together of these songs, the DAT tape that changed their collective fortunes of sorts, the inspired take of Susmit on the Rajasthani sarangi and characteristic vocal patterns, the Bengali connection of VILLAGE DAMSEL, the ITO tales of Rahul etc. If a film can invoke so many stories from the past, it should be celebrated and applauded.
“A great film Is not the one without flaws, but the one where it does not matter”
- Jaideep Varma
As for the technique, the film follows the lazy shots that it quite actually demands, shot entirely in HDV, mostly still frames(low on the sensational handheld, for the better), greyscales on occasion, perspectival frames at 1-2 times, the car shots which became rather a motif as the band members narrate their experiences, and so on. The use of black outs, fade ins add flavour to the pieces(they go by the name of their famous songs), and not to forget, the live songs elevate the average talking-heads documentary to a rare of its kind. And when you think of INDIAN OCEAN, you only appreciate the respect and reverence with which it is approached and executed. Each song is lived on the screen, growing right before your eyes. The smooth transitions to stage show and practice at the adda is another ace. Then there are the human touches, the playfulness of Rahul, the desi wit(ye padosi roz raat ko daaru peeke botal phenkta hai, pata nahi kyun usko naukari karni thi us din hum sab bade demotivate ho gaye, main to yahaan baithe baithe ek din samaadhi le loonga, gore logo ne acha acha likha hamaare baare mein, buddhe ho rahein hain saale aur kya, jab maine usse poochha tujhe kya karna hai to bola bas bajana hai phir dekhenge..)the fun jugalbandi sessions between Asheem & Amit, the Shimla trip etc, which make the band believable in a next-door-neighbor air. These guys might have produced some of the most exotic and original songs of our times, but they battle out the same demons that we do. And it is the same regular morning after the spotlights and starry-night concerts and world tours(an average of 65 concerts an year, they perform next in NEW MEXICO & NYC this Sep & Oct).
LEAVING HOME is a 130 mins documentary with over 45 minutes of live uninterrupted music. It chronicles the life and times of a band that has stayed together for over 15 years, producing songs and stories, a 30 song career that is to be seen and lived and shared. The experience certainly rises above the high that one gets while getting immersed in their loopy melodic patterns.
Jhoom mache har nabh mein phootein ras ki phuhaarein
Anhad ke aangan mein naachein chandaa sitaare…
So you have an audience, alright!
Acknowledgement:
Indian Ocean Official Website
Leaving Home Official Website
Bangalore Film Society
Oz
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
I’m one of the confirmed audience for this when it comes to Mumbai!
Count me also !!
“Only he is disappointed, who has an appointment with the future.” it was a very motivational carpe diem kinda film. i was but unsettled with its pace. Thanks to BFS.
Let’s push for a PFC screening Kenny. Wotsay? Jaideep…you listening?
Let’s push again for a vote guys, let’s get it to the big screen. It deserves to be seen that way. I would even say it will work wonders in a open concert space with big screen and audio, more than half of it is a concert video.
Wow!my curiosity is kindled.Would love to see it at the first given oppurtunity.
Will it be screened in HYDERABAD?
I can get atleast 10 people for this screeing if it ever happens in Mumbai…and i mean it when i say atleast 10…i’m pretty sure tonnes of people will turn out…one more suggestion is to have the screeing at a place like IIT-B where Indian Ocean has performed regularly and even the geeks like their tunes….
Ya man, its a perennial geek and campus favorite. Very pro-late night study as well as all the other things. :-)
desert rain was always and remains my fav indian ocean album. boll weevil rocks.
wow, nice to get a nod from you, papaji. long time.
I am listening right now to Desert Rain. simply way beyond.
Will be a great watch indeed!
would love to see this
What a terrific film! I for one was an Indian Ocean novice.. only familiar with the biggest of hits and obviously, i lacked some solid hostel time. I loved the way that film took it’s time.. finding a grand narative in little stories and then took a surge to dreams, hopes and doing what it matters.. and the point is not to get there but to stay together. To stick on. It’s a beautiful paean to friendship.
Loved the way the songs were played out. Nice and whole. Hooking people with the back story and then playing the songs whole and complete. A perfect concert film and far, far more.
This is a landmark event on Indian Screens.
You got the friendship part right. And Nice and whole is a nice phrase, it rings sleaze yet musical and operatic.
AND I THINK WE SHOULD GIVE A NICE BIG ONE TO THE AMAZING WIFES MAN. who needs groupies? I do but…
ya man, and imagine what if they think going to the Surajkund Mela or Dilli Haat is a good idea for sundays.
any other bands i should dig on further in the Indian scene? any others who need a 130min movie on them?
and as for the prospective/interested candidates, I ve counted ~ 20 ppl till now, and I wanna keep counting till the blue turns to grey.
well, that’s a tough one, they might score on the dramatics(sounds familiar, eh!) but rarely such music happens. I could go next door and check out the brothers on sarhad ke us paar. Though despite all the replulsions, I still feel Euphoria work very nice on the buddy factor, I followed them through the ages and they are some good album covers writers. Apart from the music they make or not make. Parikrama cuts it nice on the work-arts divide. Orange Street, Smoke, Shair n Funk, AGOSH, Lezz, SEL…they all have their stories, but yeah, who is willing to share and who is willing to buy?
But I am sure there could be a Bombay-backdropped classic out there waiting to be made. Would be a nice break from the ever filmy-struggler-yuck association, and I am sure Bombay has few things up its sleeve to live upto the legends of rock and things unearthed in the dark of the night.