Usha Uthup Lauds The Elvis Presley Rock N Roll Era In ‘Rockumentary-Evolution Of Indian Rock’

Jyothi Venkatesh

A special screening of award winning documentary on rock music titled ‘Rockumentary-Evolution of Indian Rock’ took place in Noida recently. Organised by The Great Indian Film and Literature Festival, the film was screened under their banner GIFLIF Corner at Max towers. Directed and co-produced by former music journalist and filmmaker Abhimanyu Kukreja, the 79 min documentary feature showcases the intriguing origin of rock music in India over the years, through the eyes of 30 prominent artists in Indian rock music scene including Usha Uthup, Louiz Banks and Moa Subong.7 years in the making, this documentary feature length film is a never before heard story of how western music entered a pre-independent India in the form of the Blues and the Jazz music in the 1930s and how it has evolved into a pop-culture phenomenon over the years. The documentary is divided into 8 chapters and begins with how rock music first made in-roads in a country like India heavily dominated by Bollywood and classical music at that time. It continues to trace the evolution from the Anglo-led jazz and blues bands in the clubs of British-era Calcutta in the '30s, to the influence of Elvis Presley on rock 'n' roll in India and the world, the psychedelic rock scene of the '70s in Bombay and finally making an entry into the role of TV Channels.

Abhimanyu Kukreja says,” There is a lot written on rock music in the western countries, but there is not enough noise on this exciting genre of music in India. Through this feature we want to educate people about the history of rock music in our country by celebrating and paying homage to some great talent including musicians, voices and orchestrators of India’s rock movement.” Actor, director and film score composer, Luke Kenny was also present at the screening to promote the movie and talk about  rock music scene in India. Speaking from the event, actor & musician Luke Kenny said,” Music has always been an integral part of my career and life. Jazz and rock music from the 60s and 70s has had a great influence on my creative process over the years. It is wonderful to see a creation like Rockumentary which brings all the passion and the free rythm of rock music in its true form closer to the audience.” The documentary feature film has won accolades in 20 international film-festivals across India, USA and Europe and was screened at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival – film market.

Rockumentary  is a never before heard story of how western music entered a pre-independent India in the form of the Blues and the Jazz music in the 1930s and how it converted itself into a phenomenon named Rock n Roll by the 1960s that paved the way for present day rock bands in the country.This film is an attempt to capture the journey of unheard tunes that made inroads into a country dominated by traditional & classical folk tunes and the Bollywood film industry and has gone on to lay the foundations for a thriving independent music industry supported, followed & loved by millions.

Abhimanyu Kukreja is a writer, director and producer, began his career as a music journalist with television stations in India. During his early career days with media outlets, he is credited to have interviewed Grammy Award winning musicians like Herbie Hancock, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Jethro Tull and Boney M, amongst others. He has been chronicling the history of music in India since 2006, when Rock n Roll hit him while being a university student in New Delhi. He has been a Director's Assistant in Hindi cinema films like, Buddha In A traffic Jam (2016) and Junooniyat (2016). He is presently working on an American production named the Lost India series (Under - Production) that traces historical and archaeological sites mentioned in the Mahabharata book.

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Tags: Bollywood, Bollywood News, Bollywood Updates, Television, Telly News, Usha Uthup