Badhri, a sound engineer by training and the powerhouse behind Motta Maadi Music (MMM) was always fascinated by sound. And so he discovered music. His MMM is an open space for audiences and musicians alike to showcase their jamming skills and just be themselves. “We do impromptu sets all the time and make small mistakes on stage, and people enjoy that”, says Badhri. “My mom’s coffee was the USP for the first few shows of MMM”, he jokes.
Interactive and largely microphone-free, the shows help the audiences break out of their inhibitions and sing to their hearts’ content. Jokes and friendly banter help break the ice. Talking about the energy at his shows, he says “The audience gets it from me and I get it from them. It’s mutual.” He stresses that every member of the band is approachable and relevant to the audience.
The transition from MMM to Maaditorium happened in March when comedian Aravind SA loved the show and posted about it online. Numbers increased rapidly and 1200 people turned up for the next event. Badhri took his shows to auditoriums. “The auditorium is one space where audiences have always been - well - the audience. I wanted to change that. I wanted the audience to be performers inside the auditorium and that is what I did”, he says.
People still keep asking him when the next Motta Maadi show is happening, but Badhri says the terrace is now only for private band sessions. In 2020 MMM hopes to register themselves as a company. They look forward to touring beyond the South and going global with shows in Bombay, Hyderabad, Singapore, Malaysia and Australia. By Pongal, they plan on releasing a documentary. Badhri tells us he will also be performing his original songs live post July 2020. Upcoming events: Two shows in Chennai on New Year's Eve and a six-city tour (Chennai, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Madurai, Trichy and Mumbai) starting tentatively on February 8th.