Rajasthani singer Mame Khan created history by becoming the first folk artiste to sashay down the red carpet for India at the 75th Cannes Film Festival on Tuesday.
Khan, dressed in traditional Rajasthani outfit with an embroidered kurta and vibrant headgear, was part of the Indian delegation visiting the prestigious film festival in the south of France. The team is led by Minister of Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur.
Who is Mame Khan?
Popular for his songs Baawre’ in Luck By Chance (2009); ‘Aitbaar’ in Nobody Killed Jessica (2011) and ‘Chakora’ in Mirzya (2016), Mame Khan belongs to the famous Manganiyar Gharana of Rajasthan. His musical career started from Satto, a small village near Jaisalmer.
He is the 14th generation of this gharana, where children grow up in a musical environment, BBC Hindi quoted Khan as saying in an earlier interview.
“While eating and drinking, we know and learn music, but it does not have any degree,” he said.
Khan was initiated to music by his father Rana Khan, who was also one of the popular singers of the gharana. Known for his energy and vocal skills, Khan inherited the qualities from his father and mentor.
Jangra, the style of the Manganiyar gharana, uses rare instruments like the bowed kamaicha and the percussion piece khartal. The player of the instruments has a unique theatrical-dance posture while performing.
Initially, Mame Khan was more focused on rhythm and he preferred to play the dholak. But it was during a world tour in 1999 that Khan took to singing on the advice of his father, The Hindu reported.
Coke Studio
Although the Manganiyar Gharana has been singing songs for 14 generations, it was only after Mame Khan sang the song 'Choudhary' with composer Amit Trivedi in 'Coke Studio' that people started recognising the musical style.
Prior to this, Khan sang in films, but the audience was not aware of the folk singer.
"I believe that just being an artist is not enough for an artist. For that it is very important for you to be on social media as well,” Mame Khan had told BBC.
(Edited by : Sudarsanan Mani)
First Published: May 18, 2022 4:15 PM IST
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