Review: Lucky Ali, Thaikkudam Bridge and More Bring Cheer to GIFLIF Indiestaan Music Festival, Bhopal

Bhopal’s GIFLIF – the Great Indian Film and Literature Festival – has been one of the few festivals which launched large-scale music events when things first eased during the pandemic in February 2021. It was a drive-in festival, which made it that much more innovative and entrepreneurial, given concerns related to public gatherings during Covid-19.

With the launch of GIFLIF Indiestaan Music Festival – which took place on February 18th and 19th at the same drive-in theater ground as the previous editions – it’s clear that the organizers want to create a culture of not just indie gigs but entire multi-day festival events.

Taking place during the Mahashivratri weekend in Bhopal, the two-day Indiestaan Music Festival brought together Indian pop veteran Lucky Ali, fusion favorites like Thaikkudam Bridge (for the Kerala act’s first performance in central India), Mumbai’s Anand Bhaskar Collective and Bombay Bandook (who were returning performers at GIFLIF), plus poet and singer-songwriter Kavish Seth’s band iteration (only a few gigs old at this point) and electronic-informed rock act The Western Ghats.

Sure, there were only six artists spread across two days – seven, if you include the short but meditative set by guitarist Shashank Verma with his own double neck electro-acoustic guitar. But all the other boxes were ticked for a festival experience – from confetti cannons and pyro to food stalls lining each end of the venue and VIP tables set up in front of the stage.

With past headliners including the likes of lyricist, actor, writer and vocalist Piyush Mishra’s Ballimaaraan and Neeraj Arya’s Kabir Café, for GIFLIF Indiestaan Music Festival to bring in Lucky Ali was a big step up. It clearly drove the demand for tickets that made for a full house by the time the pop artist took the stage to close the festival on day two.

While day one included showcasing recent breakthroughs like The Western Ghats, it also piled on a high-energy set by Anand Bhaskar Collective and heavier stuff from Thaikkudam Bridge. The jump-around vibe of day one was contrasted (perhaps intentionally) with the mellower, more introspective yet cheeky music of Kavish Seth, Bombay Bandook and Lucky Ali.

Seth and his collective’s music remained satirical but also thoughtful, which is why it was a bit odd to see smoke cannons and confetti going off at the least expected moments of the artist’s reflection-heavy music. He did amp up eventually, performing “Sab Galat-Salat,” blistering solos and all.

While Seth’s moody performance took a while to warm up the crowd, Bombay Bandook played their cards as returning performers. Brought in within a year of their last GIFLIF set, songs like “Yaman,” “Dhaaga” and “Azad” were powerful picks, as were older cuts like “Tilak” and “Parvaaz.”

Lucky Ali, for his part, was hyped to the high heavens by the emcee, organizer and even a local radio jockey who came on to be part of the proceedings. Balancing his Bollywood repertoire with his own solo releases, “Na Tum Jaano Na Hum,” “Hairat,” “Ek Pal Ka Jeena,” “Maut” and “Aa Bhi Ja” were all part of a diverse, journeying setlist. Adding a local touch, Ali performed “Tu Kaun Hai” from the 1997 movie Bhopal Express and dedicated it to the victims of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy of 1984. From “O Sanam” (which was part of his encore) to “Dekha Hai Aise Bhi,” Ali was reserved, energetic and composed at different times. He concluded his set by saying, “The message is always be in love.”

Maybe the GIFLIF organizers would like to expand that to say always be in love with indie music, Indiestaan Music Festival is proving that you can, in fact, take Indian indie anywhere, and although conditions apply, it shows that there’s a demand in every major city in India for live music.

Photos: Courtesy of GIFLIF Indiestaan Music Festival