News India Times October 9, 2015
15
‘Garbo’
music video
is not just for
the Gujaratis
says
Parthiv Gohil
Q: You are launching your new music video‘Garabo’
very soon… please tell us about your journey of this
creation.
A: This journey is new as well as old. New,
because the music video will put me in a
different light, my fans will see me differently.
Still it is known to me and not entirely new for
me because the ‘Garabo’ that I am going to
present has been with me since almost 2
decades. I have not just heard it but also sang it
and many times in fact.
Q: (before the answer is over) 2 decades, that is
twenty years… can you please explain this
association?
A: it was almost twenty years ago that I
understood the meaning of Garaba... And since
then I have been listening to this song.It was
penned by Rahi Andhariaand and was
composed by veteran respected artiste
Mohammad Dekhaiya of Bhavanagar. Each
time I have sung this Garaba in my live shows
or any other performances people have loved it
and have always been curious to know more
about it.
Q: Was it people’s response that inspired you to make
this video song?
A: I decided to make a video because our
newaudiences want to experience their music
visually and soak it in. A music video project
was on my mind since long and I decided to
start it by offering this ‘Garabo’ to Maa Shakti.
Another reason for choosing this ‘Garabo’ is
when a south Indian music programmer heard
it he loved it. He offered to programme it for
me and we went ahead with it. After the
programming when I heard it I felt that this
‘Garabo’ can do wonders and I must work on it
more.
Q: The form ‘Garabo’ is connected to Gujarat and
Gujaratis while your listeners are all over the world.
How people who are unknown to the language will
connect to it?
A: It is a myth that Garabo belongs to Gujarat
and Gujaratis only. ‘Garabo’ is not something
that is performed during nine nights of
Navaratri. ‘Garabo’ is a form of worship. It is
spiritual. It is a divine force and anything that is
divine will not have language barriers. What is
a Garaba? How are spiritual elements imbibed
in it? These are few things that I want the new
generation to know, to understand. To see to it
that this Garaba reaches people globally,
famous music arranger Sumeet Mascarenhas
has arranged the rhythm for this. Aditya Dev
who has been a music programmer for films
like Tanu Weds Manu, Mary Kom, Baji Rav
Mastani and Houseful – 3 has done symphonic
arraignment for it. Apart from these two
experts AkshayAakash have arranged music
programming for this. All these efforts have
made ‘‘Garabo’ ’ supremely energetic and
anyone who will watch or listen to it will
certainly feel that.
Q: You have made music videos earlier but you call
‘Garabo’ a dream project. How was the process from
thought, conception and making?
A: When it was decided to make the music
video on ‘Garabo’ we chose to keep an ethnic,
extremely traditional look and feel to it, to give
it a beautiful flavour. We researched about how
people used to play or sing ‘Garabo’ originally ,
the costumes of yester years, traditions, myths
and stories connected to itwere some points of
the research. We made it a point that all this
should be reflected in the video. I have played
multiple roles of a singer, performer and
conceptualiser in the project.
Q: Does ‘Garabo’ have connection to Kutchch?
A: Original idea was to shoot ‘Garabo’ in
Kutchch, we even explored some locations
there but due to rains we could not finalize any
spot. But we created Kutchch in Mumbai
through set, but still for certain things we had to
go to Kutchch. Clothes and tattoos, Garaba
dance steps and many minute details were
different sixty years ago and we gained the
understanding of the same from Kutchch. Our
team was large but the after nine months of
meticulous detailing and hard work we could
create that localeflavour in the video.
Q: Interestingly this Gujarati Garaba hasn’t
reached to Gujarati audience yet, but it has been
on global stage. Why so?
A : I shall again say that Garaba is not confined
to Gujaratis. It is not some dance form or fun. It
is a kind of devotional form, a worship, and this
can never be limited to a state or a country or
any other border. While in USAduring ‘Chalo
Gujarat’ event ‘‘Garabo’ ’ teaser was a hit at the
very moment people saw it. It was a huge
audience of almost 8 to 10 thousand people. The
moment it was on screen the production gave
them a feel that this could be a Hindi Film song
but the Gujarati words made them happier and
unanimous reaction was ‘amazing, this is a
‘Garabo’
Q: Where did you receive the best response?
A: Who so ever has seen this ‘Garabo’ has given
wonderful response. They saw and enjoyed and
I enjoyed watching their reaction. I am so close
to this song that I immerse myself in it. Every
time I listen to it I feel divine. There were people
in Britain and USAwho could not understand a
word but certainly felt the divine power of it.
Q: How do we see you in this one? Have you been
choreographed?
A: Ma Shakti’s worship is performed by nine
women, I am the voice of a devotee and I am
seen as a devotee in this ‘Garabo’.
Q: Any memorable incidents – experience on sets?
A: The entire experience of shooting is
memorable. Four days job was done in two
days I must say. The shooting was on from
seven in the morning till two in the night for
two consecutive days. I would like to share that
at home we have Ma ShaktiDevi’s sthapana
and I carried it on sets with me. I could
constantly feel the divine presence. I feel that it
was her blessings that made our work smooth.
Because we had Ma Shakti on sets no one was
allowed to use certain language and eat non
vegetarian food. Surprisingly not a single
person had issues in following this, all accepted
it. Post shoot none felt tired and in fact all were
happy to be a part of such divine pure project.
Q: Who gets credit for wonderful cinematography
and choreography of your video song?
A: Naturally the credit goes to my DOPAnshul
Chobe and choreographers Viththal Patil
Punita Hirani.
Q: Your Company is coming up with such a big
project for the first time. Who were the supporters?
A: As I am launching this project I got
production support from Smoking Tiger
Productions and lead supporter was Shri.
Parimal Nathavani from Reliance Industries.
Apart from them Future Net Group USA,
Sunshine builder and Zaveri & co. were my
associate supporters.
Q: ‘Garabo’ is dedicated to?
A: This dream project ‘Garabo’ is dedicated to
none other than my mother, she is the one who
always faced the adversities of life will all
courage, and she gave me mettle to deal with
any situations of life. ‘Garabo’ is a symbol of
Women Power and so it goes to force of my life.
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