The Kashmir Files, a film by Vivek Agnihotri left a mark on people’s hearts as it portrayed the sufferings of Kashmiri victims who faced exodus in 1990. People around the world realized the power of Indian cinema as the docutaiment broke several box records. The movie has only one song ‘Hum Dekhenge’ sung by actor-producer Pallavi Joshi which received mixed reactions from the audience.
The sentiment with which ‘The Kashmir Files’ leaves every viewer at the end was captured and expressed by a young composer-singer from Mumbai. Originally from Kanpur, Samrat Awasthi stumbled upon words as the movie ended on a drastic note. In collaboration with lyricist Milind Panwar, Samrat launched the trailer of his song ‘Sab Dekhenge.’
Within a day, the trailer fired up social media and crossed one million views on Instagram. Samrat received wide appreciation from the movie’s director, producers, and cast for its soulful music. Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri tweeted about the song, ‘Such divine, soulful creativity is coming out of pain. Is this the Indic Renaissance?’
Along with appreciation, the song received support in different forms. Many creators like world record holder Rangoli artist made reels on Samrat’s masterpiece. Album art for the song was a viral art about the return of Kashmiri Pandits provided by the creator to Samrat.
When asked about the song Samrat tells us, ‘It was necessary for everyone to see not just the movie, but acknowledge the humanitarian crisis faced by the pandits. Sirf hum nahi, Sab dekhenge.’ Starting on the note of portraying the pain faced by the victims, the song ends with a ray of hope imbibed in it with lines such as, ‘Hum Laut ke Ek din aaege, us Ghar ko Phir sajayenge.’
‘Sab Dekhenge’ has to be one of the best masterpieces by Samrat yet, an artist who believes in raising his voice where it is necessary. Apart from the song on the humanitarian crisis about the Kashmiri pandits, the artist also composed songs like ‘Ghotala’ which portrayed the inhumane organ scandal during the pandemic, and much more.
The song has crossed over ten million views across all social media platforms, with 1.2 million views on Instagram, one hundred and forty thousand views on YouTube, and over 75,000 shares on Facebook and yet counting.
The shift towards Independent artists like Samrat Awasthi is the knock of change in the music industry. His latest song ‘Sadhu’ about the lynching of two sadhus in Palghar, Maharashtra is out now on various streaming platforms like YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, and Saavn.
