Desi Bands tells the story of a disappearing community of folk singers and dancers around Punjab and Rajasthan

Singh, who has written, directed and produced Desi Bands, says the film is set in Punjab and Rajasthan, and the idea of the film came to him in 2001, when folk artistes from these states were part of his wedding and he was absolutely struck by their work. Singh says he wanted to make a realistic, meaningful and musical film on the life and art of these folk artistes, who hardly have any platforms to showcase their talent or earn a decent livelihood.

The film has won the Award of Recognition at the 2019 IndieFEST Film Awards, California.

He wrote both the script and songs of the film after years of research and spending a lot of time with folk artists in both the states, but finding a producer to fund the film was proving to be a challenge. “The history of their art forms, their present position in society, social struggle and how they carry forward their legacy against all odds is part of the film. Sadly, weddings and functions now have stage for popular dance and music performances and not these artistes,” adds Singh. The filmmaker studied and spent a lot of time with communities like the Mirasi, Bhatt, Dhadi and Bhaand to write a script that may be fictional, but is inspired by their lives, art, music and rich traditions. “It is real to life, replete with music, colour and emotions,” he remarks.

Filmmaker Sukhwinder Singh

The film, which is doing the festival circuits and will also be screened at the upcoming Shimla International Festival in October, is a story of three generations. It shows the conflict between a father and son, as the father wants the son to take forward the tradition of their art, but the son, under pressure from various external situations, wants to change his profession. “Society is oblivious to their struggle, pain, life and the dying art forms,” Singh says, adding that the film has rich music from composer Ismail Azad Maliya of the Mirasi community, with songs shot in Bikaner.

“Most actors are from the theatre background and the film is a collective effort of the entire unit. We did not let the shortage of funds affect our work and quality of the film, as we believed in the project,” he says.