Four roommates shot a music video in their Mumbai flat and it received a premiere on VH1

Abodid Sahoo and his roommates thought about shooting a music video together and since it was back in the lockdown days, they were restricted to their Mumbai flat in Malad. This is what ensued 
The team | (Pic: Abodid Sahoo)
The team | (Pic: Abodid Sahoo)

Before the lockdown blues got to Abodid SahooAnirban DasMriganka Bhattacharjya and Sourav Sharma - four roommates who were confined to their flat in Malad, Mumbai - they got to it by channelising their restlessness into Show Me The Way, a music video shot in their flat and on their terrace. Anirban and Mriganka are musicians, part of the band XY, while Abodid is a director and editor. Abodid is from Odisha and has been residing in Mumbai since March 2018. His dreams of being a director took him to Mayanagri. The 27-year-old has previously done projects for Odisha Tourism, Grand Hyatt, Jawa Motorcycles and more. Hence, the lockdown was particularly hard on these pursuers of the creative field.
 

Abodid started off by making short films for college fests while at NIT Rourkela


Jugaad — that's what elevated the music video of Show Me The Way. Usage of ring lights and heavy editing gives this four minutes and 44  seconds video a new-age feel. They covered all the other lights with towels and made simple homemade props as well. As far as the theme of the video goes, they have left it open to interpretation. But it is loosely about a dancer who, in his attempt to build a rapport with other dancers, is dejected because he is unable to. Hence, he comes back to his own space, in his own colours, and dances with abandon. "We were all feeling lonely during the lockdown and we tried to connect with others and ended up feeling more lonely. We just wanted to show how the very same loneliness can serve as an escape route to your heart," says Abodid. This unscripted shooting was done in June-July and came with a lot of post-production work, which the alumnus of NIT Rourkela who pursued a Dual degree in Mechanical Engineering, personally attended to. And thanks to all their efforts, VH1 picked up the video.

When the four were shooting on the terrace of their building, they almost got into trouble. "We were using smoke bombs and were noticed by some people and they complained to our flat owner. The people even came up to the terrace and asked us why we were doing this during a pandemic," shares Abodid and laughs. Well, now it's a laughing matter, but back then it was scary. Yet it's just a memory that makes the video that much more personal.    
 

He won a scholarship to pursue a Diploma in AD Filmmaking and Branding from The Prahlad Kakar School of Branding & Entrepreneurship


Collaboration with the right people is key for Abodid and, in this case, it happened to be his roommates who are friends not just because they live together but because they admire the same music. Coldplay, 21 Pilots, Sia and Steven Wilson are their favourites. Also, spontaneity for him is not 'random'. "It's all about exploring and getting your inspiration right, but not succumbing to it because otherwise, you will just be a copy of it," he says wisely.

Giving thanks:
- Gloria Saji: She hails from Oman and did the costume styling for the video virtually
- Swetaleena Mohapatra: A friend of Abodid, she painted the acrylic artwork for the album art
- Priyanjita Adhikari: She did the lettering for the album art
- Cryosis: It was through Siddhant Mishra from the band that they connected to VH1

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