How Bollywood Found a Caribbean Beat | The Untold Story of Chutney Music

What if that catchy Bollywood song you grew up humming wasn’t Bollywood at all? In this episode of Unboxed, Amit Basole is joined by Sharmadip Basu and Kalyani K from Azim Premji University to uncover the incredible story of Chutney Music — a genre born from migration, memory, and musical remixing. It begins in 1980s Bengal, where a young Sharmadip first hears Kaise Bani Phulouri Bina Chutney Kaise Bani — thinking it’s just another filmi tune. Years later, in an Indo-Caribbean neighbourhood in New York, he realises it’s actually by Sundar Popo, the father of Chutney Music. That revelation opens up an oceanic history — from indentured labourers (Girmitiyas) who sailed from Bihar and Awadh after 1835, to the birth of a new sound that blended Bhojpuri folk with Caribbean rhythm. Together, Amit, Sharmadip, and Kalyani trace how artists like Rasika Dindial (Lazy Man) and Drupatee Ramgoonai (Roll Up de Tassa) turned this hybrid sound into a stage for self-expression — where Hindi met Creole, and women found their voice in song. Watch now to explore how a tune travelled across oceans — and came back as Chutney Music, reshaping Bollywood, diaspora identity, and the very meaning of rhythm. #ChutneyMusic #UnboxedPodcast #AzimPremjiUniversity #SundarPopo #KaiseBani #DrupateeRamgoonai #RasikaDindial #CaribbeanMusic #BhojpuriFolk #Soca #Calypso #DiasporaMusic #BollywoodMusic #IndianDiaspora #MigrationStories #Unboxed #AmitBasole #CulturalFusion #Girmitiyas