Bickram Ghosh and Pete Lockett drum it up at the Tollywood set of their new music video for the track Primal. Picture by Sanjoy Chattopadhyaya

Flame-throwers, dancers and an elaborate arrangement of lights made a Tollygunge studio floor come alive as tabla whiz Bickram Ghosh and Bond soundtrack staple Pete Lockett completed a pre-Puja video shoot for their track Primal. The tune is included on the latest drumming album by the duo, titled Kingdom Of Rhythm, which will see a December release on Saregama.

Directed by Riingo — a specialist in music videos in these parts — the visuals for Primal are set in “an imaginary, exotic kingdom”; a mythical space of kings and warriors, witches and pirates and all things in between. The audio-visual fantasy that this world represents revolves around the four themes of fire, water, energy and power, in sync with the primeval nature of the instrumental tune. Bickram and multi-percussionist Pete are appropriate protagonists in this painstakingly-crafted set, playing shamans, invoking gods and goddesses and purging evil through their music. The video also features model and VJ Pamela, who dances through her role of an enticing sorceress.

While the shooting process itself was a gruelling one — the huge flames generated a considerable amount of soot and smoke that had to be withstood, along with the oppressive humidity — the team succeeded in capturing the vibe of the tune, especially through the energetic on-camera performances of the drumming duo.

The hyper-energetic Pete couldn’t be bogged down by the October heat, performing on everything from timpanis to talking drums, blonde mane flying in all directions.

Bickram offered some great visuals as well, playing everything from the tabla to the duf to some serious pandeiro. As for the inspiration bit, wife Jaya Seal Ghosh was there all the way!