Throughout history, dissent has been a pillar of democracy - a check in place to safeguard citizens' rights. And music is one of its most potent weapons. Awaaz traces the socio-political histories and present realities of four Asian countries through the eyes and voices of prominent artists who use their music as a platform for social change.

Awaaz, which literally translates to 'voice' in Hindi and Urdu, is a four-part series featuring artists from Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Iran, and India. The project was commissioned by Goethe-Institut / Max Mueller Bhavan, New Delhi as part of their Music, Activism and Protest [M.A.P.A.M.P] grant. I directed and produced the series through my production company Studio Now Delhi 

The first episode features Roody, a 22-year-old MC and multi-disciplinary artist from West Tehran. Roody's work echoes the socio-political realities of Iran, a country where being a female rapper in itself is an act of resistance. Roody's powerful body of work has established her as one of the most prolific female hip-hop artists in the Iranian contemporary music scene.

The second film in this series features Dr. Taimur Rahman, a Pakistani Marxist academic, musician, and political activist. He is an associate professor of political science at the Lahore University of Management Sciences, general secretary of the Mazdoor Kissan Party of Pakistan, and has been leading a grassroots musical campaign against religious extremism in Pakistan called Music for Peace for the past five years. Taimur is the lead guitarist and spokesperson for the socialist music group Laal.

The third film in the series features two distinct voices from Sri Lanka that explore the duality of identity within the country. Rathya is a Tamil music composer, lyricist, and rapper who experienced the devastating civil war firsthand and speaks of her lived experiences as a minority within the country. On the other hand, Sinhalese rapper Zany Inzane - who has some of the most hard-hitting lyrics in the Sri Lankan hip-hop scene - uses his words to call out the corrupt and manipulative aspects of Sri Lankan politics.

The final film in the series features Roy, a trilingual rapper and visual artist currently based out of New Delhi. Roy uses the subversive, transcontinental form of hip-hop to articulate ongoing contemporary political anxieties in India. As an artist working with sound, text, and image, he is able to tap into a range of sensibilities while defying them all.