Culture Machine known for videos like ‘The Printing Machine’, a poetical satire by Kalki; Radhika Apte voicing against body shaming through ‘You’re beautiful’, or ‘The Indian’ series describing the Indian Sikhs, Muslims and Dalits amongst many other, there is always a social message in Culture Machine’s content. And now, once again, they have pushed the envelope by doing something extra ordinary a social experiment titled “The Roadside Ustaad” featuring Bollywood’s most loved singer in a never seen before avatar.

Released on Culture Machine’s digital channel Being Indian, the video is an experiment  in the busy lanes of Juhu in Mumbai where the pedestrians take notice of an old man singing in melodious voice with many pausing to enjoy a few moments but are forced to continue to hurry and move on with their lives.

‘The Roadside Ustaad’ captures mixed reactions of Mumbaikaars ranging from individuals stopping by and enjoying the old man’s singing to those who nonchalantly walk away, all of them oblivious to the fact that the old man is none other the king of melody Sonu Nigam.  Inspired by the magical impact that music has on individuals, Sonu Nigam and Culture Machine sought to capture joyful moments that music has on our mechanical and monotonous lives.

Talking about The Roadside Ustaad Karl Katgara, Creative Director at Culture Machine said, “The whole idea behind this experiment was to inspire people to take a moment out of their busy lives and appreciate the beauty of music. To appreciate the many tiny miracles we pass every day and ignore, while we stare at our phones or lost in thought. To do this, who better than Sonu Nigam. He is one of the most sought after singers in the country, and the most recognizable voice. What was interesting to see at the time was, he created the same magic singing, just disguised as an old man, and people could not recognise him at all.”

Adding to this, Sonu Nigam said, “I went without any expectations, totally bereft of any awkwardness for the way I was looking and what I was about to subject myself to. For the first time, I was not me, the make-up was so good and authentic,people standing so close to me, couldn't recognise me. I was carrying the harmonium that my parents bought when I was born. It was all so humbling. And from such an unfamiliar zone, I managed to procure something. Gratitude, Grace and appreciation for what we have.”

Tune in to watch the video at -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlLXMueFepI&list=PLrkRSJr0e7R03wUNPrFIPlWeD_N_J82AN