Roy Takes Aim at Development Politics With ‘Paisa Fake’

With their third release from the upcoming debut album Herock, rapper Sumit Roy and producer Dub Sharma offer a cheeky yet unsparing look at corruption, greed and more on “Paisa Fake.” 

Roy describes the song as “a realisation to be able to see through the dust. Our governments, banks and corporations are always on a flight to development, but they never land. It is all but an illusion.” Picking apart government schemes including the demonetization debacle in 2016 and surveillance via Aadhar cards, Roy calls the track an “unfiltered warning” about the fickleness of money and power. 

In the music video directed by filmmaker and photographer Nitish Kanjilal, there’s thuggery, forgery and everything in between that puts “Paisa Fake” in the narrative territory of a Bollywood film of yore. Roy, in possession of a “magic pencil” which can create notes, draws ironic parallels to scams and political apathy in the video. It offers a brief detour into another upcoming Roy release, called “Sab Jagmag.” 

The song follows singles from Herock such as “Baari Hamaari” and “Chowkidaar” (whose music video was directed by Kolkata filmmaker Q), all of which feature staunch criticism while advocating for fundamental freedoms and an impending turning of tides. 

Watch the video for “Paisa Fake” below. Hear the track on Apple Music, Spotify and JioSaavn.