Mrinal and Abhigyan Jha show solidarity with budding/aspiring artistes with the launch of ‘The Socho Project’ by MAJ (Mrinal Abhigyan Jha Productions)

Mrinal and Abhigyan Jha show solidarity with budding/aspiring artistes with the launch of ‘The Socho Project’ by MAJ (Mrinal Abhigyan Jha Productions)

Mrinal and Abhigyan Jha

India’s foremost television show creator Mrinal and veteran director and serial entrepreneur Abhigyan Jha are set to breathe life into the disgruntled music scene in the country with the launch of ‘The Socho Project’ - the first-ever musical web series in India.

The show that is slated to release later in 2020 revolves around the lives of budding musicians and artists struggling to find a foothold in the Indian music business dominated by one monopolistic music label. The characters’ stories are indicative of the actual problems that the music industry faces today, namely the lack of originality and the slim space for new talent to showcase their work while pushing them into the abyss of commercialization for survival. With an ensemble star cast comprising names like Lopamudra Raut, Gaurav Khanna, Gunjan Utreja, Gurpreet Bedi, Donal Bisht, Sahil Vaid, Alekh Sangal & Arif Zakaria among others, the web-series aims to hit the right note especially among the music – crazy generation dismayed by the rapidly declining standard of music in India.

The show chronicles the journey of 7 musicians, each of whom follow their own passion for a particular genre of music – like Pop, Lo-fi, Rap, Rock and even Ghazal. They are met with resistance by a big evil music company V Series which is responsible for destroying the market for good music with songs having baseless Punjabi lyrics and remixed tracks.

The chronic dearth of authentic and meaningful music and the diminishing chances for real upcoming talent to excel at the hands of the music ‘mafia’ eclipsing the music industry in India today, induced the rising need among the makers to throw light on the matter. Mrinal and Abhigyan aim to become a catalyst in changing the mind-set with regards to fresh releases with a string of 25 original Songs launched through the series – a significant part of the plot. Each song is a concept in itself and Lyric driven. Written First and then composed; something that is no longer done in Indian Music business. The idea is to empower independent artistes to not give up on their dreams and continue rendering original content without falling prey to the perils that lie within the industry.

Commenting on the launch of her dream project, award -winning creator and writer Mrinal Jha said, “I am extremely appalled by the music scene in India which has been stagnant for the past 25 years. Little do people know that the turnover of the recorded music industry has been stuck at pre-2000 levels compared to all other entertainment genres like Films/ TV and events. I have always believed in purpose-driven work and we are extremely proud to be presenting ‘The Socho Project’ – the maiden release by MAJ. I deeply empathize with music artistes and believe that it’s time we give them the opportunity and look beyond our short-sightedness. It’s time we nurture and foster real and genuine talent and help them to segue through the strong circle of the ‘apparent’ tastemakers of the industry and create an environment for them to breathe, survive, be accepted and thrive. We hope that ‘The Socho Project’ will enable this new wave of acceptance in the music industry in favor of these diverse and gifted newcomers.”

Creator-Director Abhigyan Jha who earlier changed the standup comedy landscape with Movers & Shakers and Jay Hind! said, “We aim to create a welcoming nature in the music industry/space and bring to light the plight of music artistes in India. As a second leg of ‘The Socho Project,’ we will be focused on building a platform for young budding talent to connect with one another and put out original content and further help them distribute their work thus opening avenues for their growth in the music space. It is disheartening to know that we still don’t have a mainstream music industry in India that goes beyond the realms of Bollywood and non-film musicians are still not taken seriously. The Socho Project will not just help us bring about a renewed approach towards these talented gems of the country, who more than often are just an opportunity away, but will also build the respect that they deserve.”

The trailer of the web-series consisting a soundtrack of 25 original songs by absolutely Fresh Talent has dropped today. The first song of the web series, Kaato – Zakhm Rap, by Mac Hardy has already won over 160k hearts on Youtube and 300k plus on Facebook and is available on leading music platforms including Apple, Amazon, Spotify, JioSaavn, Gaana and Shazam. It captures the unceasing anguish of a musician’s journey juxtaposed against the current suffering of these artistes amidst the lockdown. The second song, “Tujhse Milne se Pehle” a romantic Lo-fi Duet - will be out on 3rd July 2020.

 The web-series will be released later in the year through streaming and Pay Per View.