In the fertile North-Western plains of India lies the state of Punjab, the land of five rivers. Todar hails from this land, born to a family of heriditary singers who perform at weddings. His family has been engaged in this art for generations and they eke out a living from the gifts received at these weddings. Todar’s father is orthodox and wants Todar to continue the family profession despite the hardships, poverty and the humiliations they face. He feels it is their duty to preserve the artform, even though he sees a steady decline in patronage. Todar, like any other youngster in the village, believes that migrating to the city is the only prospect to raise their standard of living. He deserts his family to earn his living in the city doing odd jobs, trying to make a steady buck. But his efforts go to vain as he ends up in some poor company and gets entangled in a web of alcohol, drugs and crime. Meanwhile, Todar’s son, residing with his grandfather back in the village, moves out of the village. By his hard work and dedication, he grows from being a domestic servant to a soldier, earning the recognition of society and his family.
‘Desibands’ is a narrative feature by director Sukhwinder Singh. Sukhwinder shows the deplorable conditions under which the artists live, trying to eke out a living from the occasional gifts they receive from the houses at which they sing. With the changing times, the preferences of the patrons have also changed and they find their art losing out to titillating dances by young girls. The younger generations are not keen on taking up the family tradition and prefer to work as laborers in the city. ‘Desibands’ shows us how such misguided youth fall prey to addictions and crime. The talented set of actors brings alive on screen the pain of the characters and the helplessness of their situation at every turn of fate.
