Who doesn’t love Indo-Pakistani music? Four musicians discuss Ms. Marvel’s soundtrack

when . first episode of Ms. Marvel, the series starring Marvel comic book superhero Kamala Khan, hit the internet in early June. In a sequence where Khan – portrayed by 19-year-old Canadian-Pakistani actor Iman Vellani – applies a lot of enthusiasm to his first driving lesson, the playful vocals in SP Balasubramaniam’s ‘Nanba’ song grabbed everyone’s attention. What was a Rajinikanth-starrer Tamil song? linga Marvel Cinematic Universe in Production?

This was the first of several revelations with reference to artists of Indian, Pakistani and even Bangladeshi origins contributing to the soundtrack. Ms. Marvel, which concluded its first season on Disney+ last month. From Nazia Hassan’s evergreen ‘Disco Deewane’ and Cravela and Nervo’s ‘Devi’ (Ft Raja Kumari) to Coke Studio Pakistan’s hits like Ali Sethi and Shay Gill’s ‘Pasuri’ and background music work by Chennai-based artist MS Krishna, Ms. Marvel It has brought South Asian music – modern, old and traditional – into the limelight in a whole new way.

‘Impulsive’ rides the waves of the wind

When Mumbai/Pune artist Ritvij Srivastava’s songs ‘Sage’ and ‘Thandi Hawa’ made it into an episode, and noticed it on Twitter, he tweeted: “What if I told you more Is.” ‘Impulse’, a song he composed especially for the show, hit the airwaves as the closing credits tune for the show’s final episode, making it a special launch for the singer-producer.

Mumbai/Pune Singer-producer Ritvij Srivastava | photo credit: special arrangement

For the young, new generation of artists whose music is featured in the show, it is a step towards global recognition. When asked about fair representation of the music, art and culture of India, Pakistan and India Native Srivastava, a migrant, says, “I think they cashed in. Especially for it to be a Marvel project, to have that kind of scale, and just push and represent South Asian acts, they really did a fantastic job with it. ,

Come on board after chatting with Srivastava Ms. Marvel Co-producer Sana Amanat. She had already arrived before the pandemic, about three years ago. “While I was preparing the song [‘Aavegi’]‘I didn’t know where they were going to use it,’ he says, adding that they only had a “visual reference” near the end, when they wrapped up the song.” Sana explained everything about the character and that what is [Kamala Khan] was about. Then we had a little more visual context at play and it came together over the past few months. It’s been a pretty epic journey.”

inclusivity and more sync

The way New York musician Atif Afzal aka A-Zal sees it, it is part of the diversity and inclusivity movements that the American creative industries have embraced over the years. Of course, it helps that she’s got her foot in the door working with Marvel. bottle gourd Last year on a Moroccan-influenced song. But his track ‘Ae Khuda’ – with his father and lyricist Aslam Afzal, who made his Marvel debut at the age of 69 – has broken new ground. “When I started my first conversation with Marvel, I had no idea they would ever want anything related to Bollywood and the Indian subcontinent.” Now he says, “I am getting such a huge response, which was completely unexpected. Maybe it is related to the background of people being in our area.”

New York-based musician A-Zal | photo credit: special arrangement

Pakistani-Canadian Producer Khanvikt – Whose song ‘Closer’ and a remix of AR Rahman’s ‘Tere Bina’ from the film Teacher were used in a six-episode series – says “I Thought” [the music and the diaspora culture depicted] was fantastic. As a Pakistani immigrant I could connect with a lot of the family dynamic and it was nice to see a major media outlet presenting my culture in a positive light, which has not been very common in recent times. ,

Pakistani-Canadian manufacturer Khanvict | photo credit: special arrangement

Ms. MarvelThe effect of the wave is increasing. Khanvikt says his upcoming single ‘Your Love’ could be in a film or TV show soon, while Srivastava hints at more sync projects.

highlighting the diaspora

Meanwhile, the show’s narration of splits and the turmoil of the 1940s for the subcontinent begins conversations—how historical events can be woven into an alternate reality with superheroes. Initial criticism, especially from a large male audience who could not appreciate a teenage girl of color as a protagonist, was drowned out by positive reviews ( Guardian It was called ‘a great debut for the MCU’s first Muslim superhero’) and praised for its soundtrack. Jai Wolf’s ‘Indian Summer’, which played out in the final sequence, was a crowd pleaser. The Bangladeshi-American producer’s runaway hit, which was released in 2015 (and previously featured in several shows, including How to Get Away with Murder), gained new wings. Ms. Marvel, “I think the best thing about the soundtrack is that after a dark history following the British partition, they were able to incorporate Pakistani, Indian and Bangladeshi music on one soundtrack,” he says.

Bangladeshi-American Producer Jai Wolf | photo credit: special arrangement

We will see more inclusivity and diversity in Hollywood projects. Fans have already started speculating whether Native The next MCU offering will include the cast, miraclea film that ties the story arc together Ms. Marvel And captain marvel, Jay Wolf shared that for him, “the historical significance is of great importance and serves a greater purpose of advancing our culture as a whole and a wide spectrum of artists from the South Asian diaspora as well as native South Asian peoples.” exposes”.

The author is a Bengaluru-based independent music journalist.