India’s latest musical success is a band of transgender women who have launched their career with a cover of Pharrell Williams’ tune ‘Happy’.
6 Pack feature 6 transgender performers who’s first release features a number of original songs alongside their cover of Willam’s hut tune. They’ve also teamed up with well known Indian singer Sonu Nigam. The Bollywood star said he was happy to join the collaboration because it pained him to see how transgender people were stereotyped sometimes in India society.
‘Hum Hain Happy’ is sung in ‘Hinglish’ – a mix of Hindi and English. The band was formed after a lengthy audition process which saw the six vocalists being selected from among the ranks of hundreds who auditioned for the band.
The video opens with a voice over from actress Anushka Sharma who explains the challenges faced by the transgender community in India who are known as hijras in India.
“The third gender. Ignored by most. Tolerated by some. Misunderstood by all,” Sharma says in the introduction.
“In India, the hijras are a community almost in exile. Standing out at traffic signals after failing to blend in. Knocking on our windows.
“In the hope for some kindness and perhaps a smile. But when they don’t get either, they keep their chin up and find a way to simply be happy.”
The project was put by a film company called Y Films. Last year the company put together a web series called ‘Man’s World’ that looked at gender roles in India. The head of the production company Ashish Patil told Mashable that members of the LGBT community in India are often poor and have been shunned by their families.
“We realised that the LGBT community in India is very different from the rest of the world. They belong to the lowest economic strata and are shunned by their family.” said Ashish Patil about the company investment in the project.
Patil said the company had been careful not to create caricatures, as often happens in Bollywood films, but rather create a project which would increase tolerance and understanding.
Check out the video below, and get happy.
