Mar 09: On the occasion of Women’s Day, Fever’s Women in Music roundtable powered by Amazon Music focused attention on female artistry through an energetic discussion, moderated by Rotalks.
The roundtable conversations were candid, layered and deeply reflective, addressing the systemic disparities women continue to face in the music industry. The artists spoke about how male performers are often given more opportunities for live shows, while women are rarely positioned as headliners at major music festivals. They delved into the broader realities of navigating not just the industry but society at large, sharing personal journeys marked by resilience and reinvention. The discussion also explored the evolving dynamics of playback singing, with Madhubanti Bagchi remarking that “playback has quality control because musicians choose musicians.” Anecdotes added depth and personality to the conversation, from Raja Kumari recounting her experience of lending her voice to Jawan starring Shah Rukh Khan, to Lisa Mishra reflecting on whether she would lean further into acting following her Filmfare win. Rashmeet Kaur spoke about her empowering decision to prioritise herself and her independent music rather than chase playback opportunities, while Kausar Munir shared insights into navigating the industry as a woman lyricist, where opportunities can often be selective and hard-won.
Further speaking about the exceptional success of Dhurandhar, Madhubanti shared her experience of being associated with the film, highlighting the clarity of vision and leadership that shaped its music. She said,
“You can see passion, and Shashwat is very passionate about his work. Aditya Dhar’s leadership means a lot. In a film environment, a captain’s role matters a lot. That’s the reason why a lot of films fail, a lot of albums fail, because there is no one single direction. It’s not just about one promotional song, it should be the sole connection to the story we are trying to tell and navigate along the way. The fact that leadership really worked on this one.”
Elaborating further on lending her voice to the reintegration of the legendary track Ramba Ho, she recalled the intensity and scale of the moment, saying,
“When Ramba Ho was made, I remember, I remember we were recording one day before the music album launch and Shashwat told me that this is a very crucial song and it comes at a very bizarre point in the film where you wouldn’t expect a Ramba Ho, and then when they showed me the visuals, it comes at a gun fight sequence and it was so cool. The music starts from the older version and transcends into the newer version and it was so cool. Initially, I was very hesitant to sing Ramba Ho, because it’s such a legendary song, because I was extremely scared of underperforming. The standards were so high because it’s a Usha Didi song and it’s somewhere at the top, and then I saw the premise and I was like do I really have to do this, and that day also Aditya was like sing it like it should be in a gun fight sequence.”
The evening wrapped with a quick, candid round where each woman shared one thing she is simply sick of, blending humour, honesty and relatability in equal measure, and overall, the roundtable stood as a powerful, unfiltered celebration of women shaping music today, pairing real conversations with meaningful amplification through the Women In Music 2026 playlist.
