Mumbai Now Has Only Khaddas, No Pakodas: RJ Malishka on Rain Woes

Dil mein dhad dhad hoti jab bhi baarish shuru zhali,

Bas kuch ghanton mein akkha Mumbai panyakhali aali,

Kuthe rastyanchi lagli vaat, traffic madhe hui din ki raat

Fakt 2 ghanton mein khadi hoti aamchi Mumbai ki khaat,

Kuthe padla hai pul, rasta hai gul, wakdi zhaali paath,

Geli geli Mumbai khaddyat, geli geli Mumbai khaddyat...

These are the lyrics of RJ Malishka’s new rap, highlighting the plight of Mumbai during monsoons, that has taken the internet by storm. After the much appreciated and controversial rap in 2017 – “Mumbai, tula BMC var bharosa nahi kaay?” – the RJ came up with another hilarious but hard-hitting rap, which takes after the superhit Marathi song Zingaat from the film Sairat.

Asked if she thinks that rain has become a nightmare for Mumbaikars, Malishka says she has witnessed a change in the ‘spirit of Mumbai’.

“I have noticed a new trend in Mumbai that a fear has crept in. There’s this spirit of Mumbai that I’ve heard so much about. People would get out. But now sometimes, and thankfully so, people say that, ‘hey, we can't take that risk anymore’. They call their offices and ask if they can work from home or their bosses themselves suggest they do so to avoid risk,” said Malishka.

“It’s not the haven of chai and pakodas anymore. If you’re living in a high rise, between the clouds, and it’s a Sunday, and you don’t have to get out, then it’s great.”

RJ Malishka

The rap that touches upon issues like water-logging and potholes to bridge collapse and incompetence of civic authorities has already crossed over 415k views on YouTube.

While saying that citizens are equally responsible for taking care of the city, she said there are some bottlenecks that are beyond the citizens’ control.

“It is not just the authorities’ job, it is also the citizen’s job. Why do I know this? because for so many years this is exactly what I have been trying to do. There is a will, there is an acknowledgement, there is a willingness because they are citizens. Yes they will need a little more push for Swachh Bharat; you'll have to push them a little more to get rid of the plastic. But what do the citizens do about roads? That is not our job purely,” she says.

Malishka’s 2017 rap made headlines after it sparked a row and drew the ire of civic authorities. A year later, she stands firm on her grounds, saying that the radio – the voice of the city – cannot be silenced.

Attempts (to silence voices) are many but radio does not work on the whims and fancies of just the powerful. If that was the case I would have been silent this year, you wouldn’t have heard another song. And it’s not just my voice, it’s the voice of an entire city. That can’t be silenced.

RJ Malishka

“Who am I? What is my job? I am an entertainer, I like to sing, I like to dance, but that does not mean I can’t be a vigilant citizen,” she signs off.

Video Editor: Vishal Kumar

Cameraperson: Athar Rather

Assitant Cameraperson: Amanjeet Singh