Mehak Mirza Prabhu Presents an Introspective Look into An Artist With ‘Ek Raaz Batau Main’

Growing up in Mumbai, writer and storyteller Mehak Mirza Prabhu was fascinated watching her artistic father create portraits and paintings as well as develop photographs. However, her call to become an artist came to her only five years ago at the age of 33. She says, “I had not stepped on stage before that ever in my life. Whereas today I cannot imagine being more alive than when I am on stage. I am right now in my early years of this rebirth.”

According to Prabhu, there is a story in everything whether it is cinema, poetry or songs. The writer was eager to draw all these themes under one umbrella for what would become her story musical “Ek Raaz Batau Main.” “A fusion of many thoughts shaping over time influenced this vision,” she says. The writer adds, “I thought why not tell a story which evokes the feelings of a song, but it’s still a story.”

On “Ek Raaz Batau Main” Prabhu narrates a story about a forgotten artist whose mind switches off while her whole life flashes in front of her eyes as she passes away. Prabhu explains, “After her death, all the characters that lived within her, her voice, her stories, her words, her life, are questioning the listener, ‘Koi bajayega taali?’ (Will you applaud for me?)”

While the piece explores hidden thoughts and insecurities of an artist’s life, ask Prabhu if she’s ever experienced this? The writer says, “My dad was an artist par excellence, joyous in his journey. But according to me and people around him, he never received his share of fame, he never learned the art of making money, and we assumed that took a toll on him.” Prabhu realized after she became an artist that she was happy in just “creating” and “sharing” a part of herself without thinking about the outcome. She adds, “I realized there are two sides of an artist’s life; one that is his outlook and one that the world around him sees it as.”

Although “Ek Raaz Batau Main” has been written and performed by Prabhu, she is quick to note that the entire project has been a team effort by creative and like-minded people. The piece – created entirely during the COVID-19 lockdown – has been composed by poet/singer-songwriter Mohammad Muneem, sound designer Vibhas Sawar from Pune’s Sound Silence Studios, produced by Half Baked Tales as well as illustration and typography by Brahma Media.

Prabhu tells us that every listener might walk away with something different after hearing the piece. The writer further eludes that the piece is up for interpretation and judgment. She says, “It’s a fictional story, depicting that particular character’s life, which may be relatable to some or many.” Next, the writer is on the hunt for more stories, ideas and innovations while she also runs an online storytelling school for adults called Jhumritallaiya. “There is a storyteller in each one of us, I love to guide that discovery if one wishes to explore it,” she says.

Listen to “Ek Raaz Batau Main” below: