Finding poetry in Kurla

Watch a 21-year-old’s transition from life as a thug in a ghetto in Kurla to reciting poetry as a means of expression in the short documentary, Bombay 70

This Saturday, witness 21-year-old Naved Shaikh recite Hindi and Urdu rap infused with smatterings of the Bambaiya slang as he searches for an audience to sit up and listen to what he has to say. Shaikh plays the lead in Bombay 70, a short documentary by Disha Rindani that won the Silver Gateway of India prize for the Best Short Film in the Dimensions Mumbai section at the Mumbai Film Festival (MAMI) 2014.

Naved Shaikh in Bombay 70

“Bombay 70 is the pin code of Kurla West. It is also specific to the way of life nurtured in a Kurla ghetto, the home of my subject Naved Shaikh, whose identity is intricately linked with it and its residents,” elaborates Rindani.

Disha Rindani, director

To be screened at The Hive, as part of the Hive Community Festival, the documentary is a personal narrative of Shaikh’s journey from living a so-called ‘thug life’ to expressing himself through poetry. “I came across his name when an online magazine published an article about his music and his authentic style. It was an interesting amalgamation of Hindi and Urdu Rap mixed with slang.

As a filmmaker, I was interested in his unorthodox journey from Naved to his alter ego, Naezy, despite facing unceasing disapproval from his family. His dynamic personality and story gave me a chance to subtly address pertinent socio-cultural issues without sermonising,” Rindani shares.

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