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Marathi Music Scene: Beyond Film Songs

Marathi music is often reduced to film songs in the public imagination. The reality is far richer: a centuries-deep tradition of powada, shahiri, Gondhal and protest music, a thriving classical scene, and a growing independent movement that is now demanding its own recognition — and funding.

A tradition of protest and poetry

Maharashtra's musical history is inseparable from social change. In the 19th and mid-20th centuries, Satyashodhaki Jalsas and powadas carried messages of anti-caste reform and worker dignity, with figures like Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's movement shaping the sound. Later, shahiri, street theatre and bharud carried the struggles of textile mill workers and anti-caste resistance, with artists like Annabhau Sathe and Sambhaji Bhagat. Music in Maharashtra has always been a language of dissent as much as entertainment.

The indie push

Today, Marathi independent artists are asking for the same structural support films receive. At the first Marathi Indie Music Awards, artists demanded financial aid for independent non-filmy music, and a proposal was to be submitted to the Chief Minister seeking subsidies under the guidance of composer Ashok Patki. "Gaarva" was recognised as the First Iconic Marathi Indie Song, honouring poet Saumitra and composer Milind Ingle, while "Aayushyavar Bolu Kahi" was named the First Iconic Indie Marathi Show. Singers Avadhoot Gupte, Vaishali Samant and Swapnil Bandodkar were honoured as Marathi Indie Music Icons.

New sounds, same language

The new generation is stretching the language in fresh directions — including Marathi R&B, with composer Nikit Holkar releasing the first R&B single in Marathi, "Thamb Zara." The scene's message is clear: Marathi music is not a film adjunct. It is a living, independent culture with its own history, its own stars and its own future.

Street sounds and new voices

Marathi music's independent energy is visible in its street sounds too. The 2019 film Gully Boy brought Mumbai's gully rap into the mainstream, but a more democratic version of the subculture has kept growing beyond Bollywood — including rappers from Mumbai's East Indian, Adivasi and Agri communities reclaiming their languages through hip-hop. Artists like Yung Clyde rap in East Indian Marathi, while the crew Swadesi fused hip-hop with Warli folk instruments for "The Warli Revolt" during the Aarey Forest conservation movement. Roundtables now bring together voices like Shalmali Kholgade, Kratex and Abhang Repost to discuss building sustainable independent careers in Marathi music.

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