Manoj Bajpayee’s Bhojpuri rap ‘Bambai Mein Ka Ba ‘ is an ode to Migrant Workers!

Byline by – Vinayak Heliwal

“Bambai Main Ka Ba ” A searing Bhojpuri rap song is sung and performed by popular Actor Manoj Bajpayee was released on Wednesday.The song chronicles the journey and emotions of a migrant worker who leaves the comfort of home behind to move to a bigger city for the sake of livelihood.

Over more than six minutes the song tears apart the comfortable veil through which the privileged class prefers to view migrant workers, with Bajpayee delivering his lines with an expression of amused defiance on his face.

The video starts with the rushed visuals of migrant workers struggling for basic needs such as food and shelter.With the lyrics and magical voice of Manoj we are taken through the feeling that migrant workers love the scent of the earth in their native village but struck in the metro for the sake of earning a livelihood.

The lyrics delivered from the point of view of a male migrant worker, spoke his longing for home and chokha batti which he misses in the big city.Through it all, the refrain is Bambai Main Ka Ba ( What is there in Bombay).

While the rap which depicts the lives of migrant workers sometimes tends to romanticize their suffering or view them through a patronizing lens, it is the anger in the voice of Bajpayee which stands out speaking of how he would have happily preferred to live at home with his family if jobs had been available there.

Directed and conceptualized by Anubhav Sinha, the song has been penned down by Dr. Sagar and composed by Anurag Saikia. The lyrics have been translated into English by senior Journalist Sankarshan Thakur.