Queer Mic: Love Songs of Diversity

A new Bangla music single ‘Toke Chhara’ unpacks diverse meanings of love and longing while spotlighting queer perspectives 

“I have been queer all my life but I don’t remember seeing queer people playing protagonists within media, including pop music,” says Glorious Luna, 30, a non-binary queer performer. “This music video was literally our way of putting queer people on an equal footing and making space for ourselves,” adds Luna about starring in ‘Toke Chhara’ (‘Without you’ in Bangla). 

All too often, music videos perpetuate one-dimensional portraits of gender and sexuality. That’s cool, but why should it only reflect a certain expression of identity or relationship? The new single that was released on streaming platforms like YouTube, iTunes and Spotify last month, hopes to tweak the story with a fresh new visual that celebrates the diversity of modern love. 

The video explores diverse ideas of love and longing.

Wanda Hendricks

Luna represents the “feminine form” and Bidisha Mohanta—its singer-songwriter who goes by the stage name Bidishah—is seen embracing masculinity. “I didn’t want it to be a tool for activism. In fact, it is not about identity but energy. I felt a kinship with Luna; our artistic spirits are similar which translated into our on-screen chemistry,” explains the 26-year-old. The video is conceived and executed under Moonstone Multimedia, a label founded by Bidishah and Anshuj. 

“I am born a woman, if you look at my biological sex, but I wouldn’t want to be conscious about it. Just as music is music; it transcends labels, language and identities,” the musician says. Luna agrees: “We all had one goal: to create a beautiful video that conveyed love and all of its diversity but we are not labelling it as such; labels are needed for other people.”

Individualistic iterations of the feminine and masculine are represented by Luna and Bidisha.

Wanda Hendricks

‘We’re All Born Naked and the Rest is Drag’ 

The three-minute video was shot over eight hours with a crew including director Ronjoy Chatterjee, DOP Kevin James Crasta and assistant producer Ankit Parkhe at an under-construction property in Mumbai’s Juhu suburb. Bidisha’s all-black ensemble, put together in two days by stylist Rahul Jamble, brought out the yin and yang effect in the characters, Bidisha explains. 

Luna, on the other hand, not only designed their costume—a long knit tunic worn and denim shorts—but did their own hair and makeup as well. “I have a background in theatre and perform drag regularly. In fact, I met Bidisha at a club a few years ago where they were performing as a drag king [women performing as men] and we hit it off,” Luna remembers. 

A still from the video which is available to stream now.

Wanda Hendricks

Luna will be seen in another music video for an indie electronic band, Komorebi, led by Tarana Marwah. The track is scheduled for an August release. This one, Luna explains, is fantasy based, and ties fashion, individual expression and transformation: “Drag is the ultimate embrace of duality where fashion and makeup become an important visual language.”  

Glorious Luna is the drag persona of Suruj Pankaj Rajkhowa. “We’re all born naked and the rest is drag,” Luna quotes Ru Paul, African-American drag queen, singer, and producer and judge at the famed Ru Paul’s Drag Race. “I grew up as a shy person in a village in Assam and always felt a bit like an outsider. I was bullied and teased at school and it was drag that helped me create a whole world where I am heard and taken seriously,” explains Luna who has been performing drag for the last five years.

Behind the scenes.

Wanda Hendricks

Bidisha launched Desi Drag Kings “a homegrown tribe of women who put a spin on drag in photoshoots and on stage” in 2018. “I did have a stint [with drag] when I felt the need to perform a certain gender but I don’t do drag anymore.”  

‘I Want Ranveer to Sing My Music’

Bidisha grew up in Belgharia, a prominent suburb in Kolkata and comes from a family of medical practitioners. “I was all set to become a doctor too until I found music. At 12, I started my Hindustani vocal training under Ustad Abdul Rashid Khan,” says Bidisha. “I might not have a huge studio or an agent, yet I feel a sense of privilege that I am able to practice my love for music. It’s a hustle though.” Bidisha also teaches at Create, a programme founded by the NGO Enabling Leadership, to teach music at government schools across India. 

Luna in another still from ‘Toke Chhara.’

Wanda Hendricks

The work on ‘Toke Chhara’ started a year ago in Kolkata. During this time, musicians Cizzy and Joe came on board to produce the bilingual track in Bangla and English. “I was quite a snob in school with a typical post-colonial mentality, so I never fathomed that I would make music in Bangla,” Bidisha chips in with a laugh.

 At 21, Bidisha was a semi-finalist at India’s Got Talent  in 2018, a franchise talent show series. It was here that she met actor Ranveer Singh. “I want him to sing my music. I like his gender-bending fashion style, a confluence of all things eccentric.”

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Shweta Shiware is a fashion columnist and contributor with Mid-day, Mumbai’s oldest small format newspaper. She began writing on fashion when it wasn’t quite the opium of urban India.