The Courage of “Raakh Ko Dhua” with Producer Karan Shah

Music is powerful. Producer Karan Shah understands the emotive persuasion of music and visual identity that a spectacular music video wields. Karan produced the music video “Raakh Ko Dhua” which illuminates the life of a victim of domestic violence and an acid attack survivor. This production goes beyond the violent act itself to relate how ownership of the course of one’s own life is achieved by strength and courage. Karan worked with director Pranit Sahni to manifest this powerful production that went on to garner international recognition at film festivals in addition to its online success for magnificence in relating such a tale. A direct overture to combat the violence in India against women, this music video has been a powerful emotional tool in communicating the dignity and resilience of survivors. The overall tone was the opposite of sorrow as Mr. Shah relates, “The aim was to show hope. Not to present this narrative as victims but as survivors and how they represent hope and strength. It was also calling out the society and all of us for wearing the mask and looking away from such heinous crimes. It was an enthralling opportunity to create something relevant that we hoped would get people talking about societal issues.”

The emotional impact of “Raakh Ko Dhua” is overpowering and undeniable. To transform a subject matter so hurtful into a beacon of uplifting hope is a substantial feat, one which the creative professionals behind the making of this music video did with awe inspiring grace and skill. Karan imparts, “There is a lot of weight in the song but our goal was to represent hope. It was never going to be very gritty look. It was a more dreamlike; to showcase more of how we should be as a society. The juxtaposition of the other theme of domestic violence was a long-drawn conversation. We went back and forth on whether we show the actual fight/incident. Showing violence on screen is always a choice because as creators and storytellers, we should be careful of what we show and how we show it. There is a sense of responsibility that we need to have. Because our protagonist was represented as the ray of hope, we realized we need to show the challenges faced by the other women who face domestic violence. To elevate the last scene, the struggle was equally important.”

Like every producer, Shah was constantly overseeing price negotiations, maintaining his sizeable crew (many of whom were professionals of the feature film industry), attaining the proper permits for the locations, red tape, etc.  While maintaining all of these factors with expertise, he was adamant on the inclusion of one additional factor on the set of “Raakh Ko Dhua”, that of the NGO, Make Love Not Scars for this project who connected the production with Soni, the video’s protagonist. He stipulates, “I felt dealing with an NGO and an acid attack survivor was a challenge simply because of the delicate nature of our project, but it was necessary challenge that we had to take head on.” The balance achieved in the storyline is delicate and ultimately what makes this video so moving. Regarding Soni’s performance, Karan recalls, “The final scene takes place in a bar. Soni was natural and amazing. It was important to me that we created an environment for her to be feel able to do that. It’s wasn’t easy for her to face the camera in general, let alone dance in front of an unknown crowd. To make sure she felt comfortable, we asked if she’d like to meet everyone once before we start shooting. She was hesitant at first but agreed and met all our friends and family who were sitting as extras. After the shoot Soni came to Pranit (director) and I and told us how much she appreciated that we’re telling this story. She was particularly happy that we’re presenting her as symbol of hope because often people only tend to see these women as victims of a crime. That was one of the most rewarding moments of my life.” In this moment we see the true difference that separates good and great; great artists wield talent with their heart. Understanding is what allows great stories to translate among us. Whether you’re a director, a musician, an actor, or a producer like Karan Shah, leaning heart-first into art is the path to the extraordinary.

Writer: Arlen Gann