As composer Shamir Tandon sat down with a former Vice President of Yash Raj Films (YRF) to chase the goal of creating a band comprising members from the transgender community, they also hoped to achieve “the goal of fostering greater inclusivity.” Additionally, as we promote inclusivity and acceptance and demand better respect, lifestyle, and opportunities for those from across the spectrum of the LGBTQIA++ community, we cannot overlook the story of the 6 Pack Band. Hence, we learn more about their journey, in a heart-to-heart with Shamir
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6 Pack Band, consisting of Ravina Jagtap, Asha Jagtap, Komal Kinnar, Fida Khan, Chandni Suvarnkar, and Bhavika Patil, has since its inception, set stages ablaze with their impactful voices and charismatic performances helmed by Y-films (described as the ‘youth wing of YRF), and Shamir. Their music videos featuring numerous Bollywood icons have garnered millions of views.
But all this success did not come easy for the ensemble. “Building trust posed a significant challenge initially, as these individuals from the transgender community have often faced deception throughout their lives,” explains Shamir. He also reveals that hesitation by the members of the community persisted in various forms. “Some artistes would abruptly disconnect calls or even fail to show up during set visits. We even got crossdressers and men dressed as women with the hope to get a role as a transgender,” he highlights, adding “The biggest setback we encountered was the reluctance of many studios and rehearsal houses to welcome transgender individuals, as they mistakenly interpreted auditions as potential scenarios for misconduct.” Thus, Shamir mentions that ‘perseverance and time’ were the only driving factors in the formation of the band.
Singling out one of the more popular songs by the group, Sab Rab De Bande, which also features singer Sonu Nigam, Shamir opines that the band’s projects have led to some significant impact on the lives of the singers. “Komal was able to reconnect with their family after a long period of disconnection and Fida hosted an original Spotify podcast titled De Taali — Life of a Transgender, which was the number one podcast on Spotify globally within a week of its release and remained the same for almost four months , ” says Shamir, who has produced this project.
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The band’s goal for acceptance was also met internationally when they won the Cannes Grand Prix Glass Lion Award in 2016, while also becoming the first-ever South Asian band to perform on the stage of the Cannes Lions International Festival Of Creativity in 2017. Revisiting the moment the name of the band was decided, Shamir recollects, “6 pack abs was a trending topic at that time, with celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan sporting them. On the other hand, the transgender community had often been ridiculed with the number six. It sparked the idea to embrace the name in a unique way, thus giving birth to the ‘6 Pack Band’.”