Sometimes the only way to bridge the schism between warring political foes is an intoxicating cup of chai. Mumbai based film composer, writer and musician Sameer Rahat brews a politically charged track and music video in ‘Gyaan’. After venturing into multiple art forms and musical projects, Sameer stands out with his signature “Urdu Blues” style of songwriting. His sound has matured over his previous releases with his homage to blues rock and country music with strong roots in Indian folk music.
Sameer’s latest track drips with cynicism, sarcasm, mockery and disillusionment with the upper echelons of society. He fleshes out this gaping disparity with catchy and hard hitting lyrics that come off as a tableau portraying the widening blind spot of the rich and powerful. The chorus, “Gyaan baata ja raha hai” is a direct stab at politicians and the media as Sameer essentially declares that the media is in the pocket of a government that thrives on its monopoly on information.
This blindness is fleshed out as the footage of these powerful people is intercut with the daily life on the streets from the perspective of a little boy who’s trying to secure his next meal by selling tea. Musically, the track features a marching beat and bluesy guitars, with contributions from a wide variety of talented musicians and recorded in a multitude of different studios. The footsteps, edits and visuals in the video pander to the obsessiveness in all of us and march along relentlessly in sync with the beat and the lyrics.
This relatively upbeat track with a fun video features extremely cynical and pessimistic overtones. Sameer makes a powerful statement on how in our pursuit to consume information from the news and social media, we essentially know nothing.
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