On a Dhol Roll

THEIR sinewy arms strike the Kutchi dhols in unison, sometimes in succession, while DJ Nerm of the Shiva Sound System plays his dark music. The euphoric crowd breaks into a techno tandav at Mikanos, a Mumbai night club. ‘‘This is all we want—people going berserk on the dance floor,’’ says 30-year-old Dhafrani Mohammed Hanif. Having accompanied the Dil Chahta Hai (DCH) Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy trio at the MTV AIDS Summit last year, they were recently chosen to perform with Swaraj, the UK-based Asian underground music group.

Younger brother Aslam’s dhol drive is no different. Both wear their Langa community heritage like a badge. ‘‘The community from Kutch has given the dhol a new life,’’ they echo. The artistes belong to the third generation of dhol players, and reveal that grandfather Suleiman Yusuf, a music director by profession introduced the family to Hindi film music. Dhol Baaje from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and more recently Dola Re from Devdas catapulted the siblings into Bollywood’s hall of fame. And it’s a decade since 17-year-old Aslam first walked into a recording studio for Subhash Ghai’s Trimurti set to music by Laxmikant-Pyarelal. ‘‘Kudos to Laxmikant who extensively used the dhol in Hindi film music,’’ says Hanif.

Soon word spread around the industry that the brothers could play semi-classical tunes similar to those heard on the tabla on a dhol. ‘‘Very few play the teen-taal (three beats) on a dhol, but we’ve mastered it, and we’re the only dhol players who can write their own notations,’’ beams Aslam. By 2002, the duo had drummed up enough fervour to be recognised by names such as Aadesh Shrivastav, Anu Malik, Indipop band Euphoria, Ismail Darbar, Nadeem Shravan, Shweta Shetty and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. In fact, the DCH trio has roped the brothers in for a rock song in Sameer Karnik’s Kyun Ho Gaya Na? and for a Punjabi number in Karan Johar’s Kal Ho Na Ho. ‘‘These guys are very progressive and are very good players,’’ says Ehsaan Noorani.

‘‘We love live performances compared to staying behind the screen and working in a film music unit,’’ they reveal. Shyly revealing plans of launching their own band called ‘DJ With Dhol’ comprising eight dhol players and a DJ, they admit that they want universal recognition. As we speak, Hanif’s five-year-old son is thumping the dhol with his tiny fingers. And the band plays on…