Reshma

You can’t wait for this one. After a really prolonged period of time you’re going to see the one and only Reshma back in action. The legendary folk singer had been away from the limelight because of an illness the nature of which is not yet clear. All you know it was pretty dangerous and the woman with a haunting voice and steely resolve has resurfaced, singing her heart out.

The album is called Pakhivas and the video of the first number on the CD, Hath Jorniaan, will be screened on New Year’s Eve. The video is directed by Sohail Javed, and those who’ve seen its bits believe it presents a new dimension to the legend’s personality and art. Sounds great, literally and figuratively! In this age of musical drought, you so darn need such stuff – PYT

Mehdi Hasan

KARACHI, Dec 6: Tribute was paid to Mehdi Hasan at the launch of a book, which deals with his life and music, here on Monday.

Music lovers were, however, disappointed that the veteran vocalist, who has been in poor health, could not attend the function.

Efforts of senior journalist Asif Noorani, who compiled and edited the book titled Mehdi Hasan: the man and his music, were appreciated by all those who spoke at the book launch.

The book carries well-researched articles and anecdotes about the great singer. Two CDs, containing some of the rare ghazals sung by Mehdi Hasan, accompany the book.

The launch was jointly organised by Liberty Books and EMI Pakistan.

Those who spoke at the book launch included Zehra Nigah, Arshad Mahmood, Raza Ali Abidi, Saleem Hussain and Umar Sheikh.

Zehra Nigah, the eminent poet and chief guest, spoke about the need for acknowledging local artistes more often than is usually done. She also praised the efforts made by the author of the book.

Asif Noorani said: “It is disappointing that while five books are available on Lata Mangeshkar, not a single book is available on Mehdi Hasan, for whom she has great admiration as a singer. In our country we praise lavishly those people who are no more; I have the satisfaction of writing a book in Mehdi Hassan sahib’s lifetime”.

The book was termed a valuable contribution to recording of Pakistan’s national heritage and showing the path to young music lovers.

Mehdi Hasan’s music played in the background while guests discussed the merits of Mehdi Hasan’s music and compiler-editor Asif Noorani signed copies of the book – Source – Dawn.com

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

To say that Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is going places would be a huge understatement. The exceedingly talented singer in a very short span has already sung a number of hit songs, a majority of which is for Bollywood films. Those of you who crib and grump that he doesn’t more often sing for Pakistani projects, here’s something that might warm your hearts.

There’s a song Yahan Aya Hoon Naya Naya that Rahat has sung as part of the promotional soundtrack for a TV play titled Omar, Dadi And Gharwale. The number has been nicely composed by the father-son duo of Farrukh Abid and Shoaib Farrukh. Give it a listen and enjoy.

Schaz Khan

Less than a year ago, Schaz Khan came out with the video of her debut single, Jalan. Little did she fathom the controversy that brewed would give way to threats by the extremist faction of society, which eventually led to the video being banned and Khan leaving the country for a month.

Schaz Khan is now back with her new single and video titled Naya Pyar. Here, she reveals her renewed self and what she expects this time round.

“People will be surprised to hear Naya Pyar coming from a previously lovelorn and heartsick Schaz Khan. Honestly, I even amazed myself,” she exclaimed. As she unveils the video of Naya Pyar, Schaz doesn’t wait for any questions to be asked and dives straight into how the lyrics, composition and video concept came about.

“Naya Pyar is about finding new love. It’s a general phenomenon to listen to romantic songs after a heartbreak. But I believe that makes one weaker and vulnerable. On the contrary, this song will make the listener strong and want to move on.”

The music composition was a result of a casual strumming session and the lyrics followed naturally. “With a catchy, upbeat tone and hilariously bold lyrics, it’s an uplifting song which exudes positive vibes. I bet women will be able to relate to the song and feel motivated however the men might hate me,” she says, grinning.

Talking about the video, she points out that the idea was entirely hers. “I conceived the idea for the music video. However, the product that you see was the result of teamwork. My promoter, Royal Widow and friends, Amna, Uzma and Hema were equally involved to turn my concept into a fun video.”

With styling by Angie Marshall and directed by Schaz Khan, the video revolves around the making of Naya Pyar, behind-the-scenes action and a controversial live interview being conducted by a reporter. Featuring two models and a choreographer, the video begins with the interview of a drag queen in shimmery silver hot pants.

So what kind of reviews does Schaz Khan expect this time round? “I want people to have a good time listening and watching Naya Pyar but frankly speaking I’m prepared for anything. After my last experience, I built a wall around myself. I’m not here to please anyone but myself. Music is my passion and this video is for my friends and fans who are my support system. As it is, I’ve developed a reputation of being bad and I think I should maintain it.” – Fathma Amir

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan

You have to feel sorry for with the guy. The exceedingly talented Rahat Fateh Ali Khan must be thinking ‘why the heck did I choose to be a judge on a music reality show’ for the sole reason that every time a film celebrity appears on Chhote Ustad, they’re asked (sometimes pushed) to get on to the stage and shake their booty (read: dance). Each time that happens, they implore RFK to join them and show his moves. He obliges willy-nilly and looks utterly spaced out.

Poor old Rahat is a singer par excellence and is someone who is accustomed to singing songs while comfortably perched on the stage. Last week when Ranbir Kapoor and Priyanka Chopra were plugging their film Anjaana Anjaani on Chhote Ustad, they were invariably asked to pirouette and twist. It was a scene to be seen when Ranbir, on one occasion, requested Rahat to join in on the act. RFK got up and the way he tried not to disappoint them only made you sympathise with the singer. He was out of sorts and did things that are quite uncharacteristic of him. No details.

Josh

Canada-based band, Josh, teams up with R&B singer/songwriter/producer Pranam ‘Chin’ Injeti on an English song to support the flood victims in Pakistan

As a foreign desi band, Josh has had a very strong presence in Pakistan. Along with officially releasing their album in the country, making their music videos in Pakistan, hosting numerous concerts, recipients of music awards and participants in Coke Studio-2, Josh is a band that the Pakistani audience holds close to their heart.

The music community has come forward and helped hand-in-hand with relief operations in order to help the flood-affected. Josh has also attempted to contribute through a song called S.I.N.G. which is due to be released in North America very soon.

Band member Rup Magon posted on his Twitter account (RupJosh): “We have recorded an incredible new English track called S.I.N.G. – SINGING INSPIRED by the NEED to GIVE… raising funds for Pakistan and other countries in need.” According to the band, the song will “liven up your spirits and break your heart at the same time.”

Josh has worked on the song with singer/songwriter/producer Pranam “Chin” Injeti who is perhaps best known as the vocalist for the ’90s the R&B band Base is Base. In 2009 he helped produce and wrote songs for Eminem’s Recovery album and played guitar and electric bass on tracks by 50 Cent and Drak, among others. Along with appearing on several music shows, he released his solo record D’tach this year as well.

Asha Bhosle

She has sung more than 12,000 songs in 18 languages, been honoured with the Padma Vibhushan and is still raring to go. Singing legend Asha Bhosle will celebrate her 77th birthday on Wednesday with her position in Bollywood still strong and her legion of fans intact. After for over six decades in

the industry, her voice remains seamless. And as she rustles her beautiful silk saris, with jewellery to match, Asha’s style too makes a lasting statement.

The singer, who started singing at a very young age, is known for her versatality. After crooning a series of hits for the Hindi film industry’s dancing queen Helen, she was tagged as a cabaret singer.

But she dispelled that notion when she went behind the mike to croon Maang ke saath tumhara for Dilip Kumar-Vyjayantimala- starrer Naya Daur (1957). It established her as a singer to reckon with.

Since then, there has been no looking back.

She collaborated with renowned musicians of her time like Ravi, Khayyam and Shankar Jaikishan, but Asha’s real talent was exploited by composer R.D. Burman, who was instrumental in bringing her out of her elder sister and singing legend Lata Mangeshkar’s shadow. Asha and Burman later married.

Songs like Dum maro dum (Hare Rama, Hare Krishna, Mehbooba mehbooba (Sholay) Mera kuch saaman (Ijaazat), Piya tu ab to aaja (Caravan) and Chura liya hai tum ne (Yaadon Ki Baraat) bear testament to the amazing creativity of the Asha-Burman combination.

“Pancham (Burman) had this unique quality of bringing out the best in every artiste by making him or her feel comfortable. He knew how to make me sing to get the maximum effect in every situation,” Asha said.

Known for her voice range, Asha has sung in over 18 languages, including Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Malayalam, Marathi, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, English, Russian, Czech, Nepali and Malay.

Adding to her list, recently she crooned her first Kannada song for composer Veera Samarth who was overwhelmed with her professionalism even at this age.

“Didi took just two-and-a-half hours to sing the song. And the rehearsal of the song was done a day earlier. Asha didi wrote the lyrics in Hindi in her own handwriting and what a song it was. I was in tears when she completed the song. I am sure it would be one of the most brilliant songs in Kannada,” Samarth told IANS.

Not just that. She has cut many albums and was recently named among the top 20 music icons of the past 50 years by CNN – Indo-Asian News Service

Atif Aslam

Pakistani singers crossing the border to lend their voice for a song or two in India isn’t a new story at all. Back in the day Nazia Hassan and Zohaib made the music of Disco Deewane rocking success and since then this has become a trend. In 2004, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan made his debut in Bollywood with the music of Paap and it wasn’t long ago when the Bhatts welcomed Atif Aslam to Bollywood with open arms and made him sing for their production. And it wasn’t just Atif who made it there, from Rahat Fateh Ali khan to Shafqat Amanat Ali, Ali Zafar, Mustafa Zahid, Ali Azmat, Call, Annie, Adeel Chaudhry and Shehzad Roy all crossed the border for a singing stint. Here’s a look at the five singers who actually made it big in Bollywood in the past few years!

Atif Aslam
Pakistani artists and singers are known for making music of different genres whereas in India most of the music made is the typical filmy sort. And the audience demands variety, so when the need for diversity arose the directors and producers had no choice but to look across the border for fresh talent. And when they did so, their eyes fell directly on Atif Aslam! This was back in 2005 when Atif Aslam crossed the border for the first time to sing for Bollywood and the Bhatts in particular. After ‘Woh Lamhe’ for Zeher, there was no looking back and also I might add, every single song he gave voice to was a hit to say the least. ‘Tere Bin’ topped charts in 2006, ‘Pehli Nazar Main’ did the same in 2008 and ‘Tera Honay Laga Hoon’ and ‘Tu Jaane Na’ were the biggest hits of last year among others. So much so that Atif got nominated for his music in literally every award function last year. Clearly, Atif has made it big in Bollywood with the magic of his voice.

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan has sung the most for Bollywood among all other Pakistani singers. He has contributed in 30 different movies in the past 6 years and all of these movies have been big budget films starring the best that Indian cinema has to offer. His music has been a part of Om Shanti Om, Singh is King, Namaste London, Aaja Nachle, Billu Barber, Love Aajkal, My Name Is Khan, I Hate Luv Stories, We Are Family, Dabangg and many others. Now if a big budget movie comes out without Rahat’s voice in it, it seems incomplete! These days Rahat is the co-judge of a music show with Sonu Nigam which airs in both India and Pakistan. With all these achievements up his sleeve, one can only wonder if even the sky is the limit for Rahat.

Shafqat Amanat Ali
Shafqat Amanat Ali made his debut in Bollywood with the famous ‘Mitwa’ from Karan Johar’s Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, which turned out to be a super hit! It continued to top charts for weeks and was probably the best track of the movie. That’s when Shafqat made his place in the hearts of many Indian music lovers and what better start could Shafqat have hoped for than to sing for Karan Johar’s production? But that wasn’t it for him. He went on to sing ‘Yeh Hosla’ for Dor, which turned out to be an extremely beautiful track that got lots of critical acclaim. Along with giving his voice to movies like Hello, Mumbai Cuttings and Aashayen, he recently sang ‘Bin Tere’ for I Hate Luv Storys and the song was nothing less than a chartbuster! Shafqat may not have sung as much as other Pakistani singers for Bollywood, but whatever that he has sung has been phenomenal!

Ali Zafar
When most other Pakistani singers crossed the border to sing, one couldn’t figure out why Ali Zafar wasn’t doing the same? Maybe he was waiting for the right time, maybe he had other plans or maybe he wanted to do something different – at that point in time we didn’t know what it was. Today we certainly do. He wanted to do border crossing like it was never done before and he did it eventually. Ali Zafar’s ticket to Bollywood has definitely been the much talked about Tere Bin Laden but don’t just forget that not only has Ali acted in the movie as the lead but also sung four songs of Tere Bin Laden. ‘I Love Amreeka’, ‘Ullu Da Patha’ and ‘Welcome To Amreeka’ are tracks composed by the superb trio Shankar Ehsan Loy and sung by Ali himself while ‘Bus Ek Soch’ is truly Ali’s own composition! Ali has made us all very proud.

Shehzad Roy
The latest singer to cross the border and join the Bollywood bandwagon is Shehzad Roy. Sure, he took time to make his singing debut there but something tells us there’s going to be no looking back. Shehzad Roy’s song, ‘Bullshit’ was featured in Akshay Kumar’s latest movie, Khatta Meetha. The best thing about Shehzad’s debut is that the song is his own composition. It might seem familiar to Pakistanis because it’s a mixture of ‘Laga Reh’ and ‘Qismat Apnay Haath Main’ but hopefully will be fresh enough for Bollywood directors. Here’s wishing Shehzad Roy all the best for his future projects – Hafsah Sarfraz

Dabang (2010)

There’s music buffs, and then there’s Salman Khan buffs. The latter relish the ‘masala’ quotient featured in all of composer-duo Sajid-Wajid’s offerings ['Sohni De Nakhre' from Partner - the song featured in so many mehndis I wanted to strangle myself with a patka; 'Karle Baby Dance' from Hello; 'Happening' - Mai aur Mrs. Khanna; practically the entire soundtrack of Wanted, to name a few]; Mozart this is not, but the music serves its purpose, especially to front-benchers. That’s not to say that Sajid-Wajid aren’t capable of the – err – ‘cultured’; some tracks from their first 2010 release Veer were more class than mass, but whatever chance that soundtrack had was effectively ruined by laughable production/costume design [Pindari warrior channels Conan the Barbarian couture] and outrageous choreography by – aha – Lolly Pop – ahahahahaha.

No, seriously, that’s the choreographer’s name.
Right, where was I. Ah, of course: Dabangg Salman Khan returns to his Wanted roots; the action-hero avatar brought him box office glory galore in 2009, and he’s all set to repeat that as Chulbul Pandey [or 'Bad-Ass Robin Hood', as the trailers claim. But - wait, he's a police-officer, not an outlaw, that doesn't make sen...- dang it! What part of Bollywood crime pulp fiction do I not get: everything goes, including shout-outs to Kevin Costner.] Won’t post the entire plot here, but certain keywords should do: Corrupt police-officer/desi Samurai alternating between death army of one and roadside Romeo, check. Evil stepfather [Vinod Khanna], check. Mother [Dimple Kapadia] destined for the deathbed before interval, check. Sati savitri [Sonakshi Sinha, daughter of Shatrughan Sinha, in her debut], check. Her alcoholic, abusive father, played by Mahesh Manjrekar, duh. Twat of a half-brother [Arbaaz Khan] who has to ruin everything – check. Antagonist [Sonu Sood, of Jodhaa Akbar/Singh is King fame] that pits brother against brother, check. Malaika Arora in item-girl avatar as Munni, mmmm. I mean check.

Going through the soundtrack of Dabangg, one thing’s pretty obvious: the composers seem ‘inspired’ by Vishal Bhardwaj’s compositions, particularly Omkara and Kaminey. There’s two sides to the Dabangg OST: one’s folksy, rustic, and unabashedly commercial [vintage Sajid-Wajid], the other attempts to be sophisticated [re: earnest love-ballad and Sufi-qawwali-cash-cow] but comes off as pretentious.

The breakdown: A lot’s been said about Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s ‘Tere Mast Mast Do Nain’; the words ‘chartbuster’ and ‘perennial composition’ have been tossed around, and RFAK’s been praised to the hilt, some even calling it one of his most accomplished renditions.

I don’t see it. Have people forgotten the Rahat Fateh Ali Khan of old ['Mann Ki Lagan' - Paap, 'Jiya Dhadak Dhadak' - Kalyug, 'Naina' - Omkara, 'O Re Piya' - Aaja Nachle, and the like]? Feels to me like recently we’re hearing a more ‘commercial’ RFAK: ‘Sajda’ from MNIK, ‘Bahara’ from I Hate Luv Storys and ‘Aankhon Mai Neendein’ from We Are Family were to me, painfully average and don’t hold a candle to, say a ‘Dil to Bachcha Hai Ji’. Sure, the song is easy on the ears [and how could it not; the dhin-chak-dhin beat is uncomplicated and unchanging], and the chorus is… rhapsodic, but the song overstays its welcome: 6 minutes of Bollywood, The Sufi Side Of, 101. I’d recommend revisiting Mann Ki Lagan for Sufi-qawalli sublimity; the simplicity of the musical arrangement worked there, not so much in this song. The verdict: it’s quintessential RFAK, but two shades paler than his finest works. The duet version with saccharine Shreya Ghoshal works better; at least there’s some variation. The last we see of this song is in an insipid, unnecessary remix version that’s bound to Baby Doll remix obscurity. I mean, why even go there with tracks like these? Do you see yourself rocking out at a rave to ‘Teri Ore’? Didn’t think so.

Guest composer and lyricist Lalit Pandit gives us a poor man’s ‘Beedi’ [Omkara] with ‘Munni Badnaam’; a deliciously crass concoction that’s bound to send front-benchers into rabid fits of ecstasy [re: Malaika Arora, queen of the item-song.] With lyrics like: ‘Munni Badnaam Hui/Le Zandu Balm Hui/Amiya Se Aam Hui Darling Tere Liye’ it’s obvious this isn’t a Gulzar sonnet [more out of the pages of a Naseebo Lal ditty], but for its sheer infectious mood, spirited folksy flavor and OTT lyrics, the song works. Oh, come on, it has Malaika and Salman Khan grooving it out, UP-Bihar style: it was always going to play for visual impact rather than musical content. Though Sallu calling his real-life sister-in-law ‘Item-Bomb’ as she prances around in practically a backless choli is just a wee bit disturbing. There’s also a remix version that’s set to be all the rage at mehndis, but it dilutes the charming folksy flair of the original.

Up next is ‘Chori Kiya Re Jiya’, a Sonu Nigam/Shreya Ghoshal duet, straight out of the pages of a KJo/Sooraj Barjatya flick. Breezy, romantic, a tad blah towards the end [what's with 4 minute-plus songs?!], it’s standard Bollywood ballad, but surprisingly tender, given the violent theme of the film.

Oh hello, ‘Omkara’! Sajid-Wajid directly lift the chorus from Vishal Bhardwaj’s title track and conveniently add it to ‘Hud Hud Dabangg’, but plagiarism aside, with an intoxicating rendition by, oh hello, Sukhwinder Singh, the raucous rustic track [reminiscent in vocal energy as 'Tashan'], suffused with ethnic beats, is gritty and a surefire hit.

‘Humka Peena Hai’ again treads ‘masala’ territory with use of traditional elements, a catchy hook and an energetic rendition; couple that with Salman Khan’s histrionics onscreen [a drunk Sallu makes for great crowd-pleaser], and you’ve got another great ‘commercial’ track; think crude, rural irreverent rendition of ‘Chalak Chalak’ from Devdas [you've got all your basics: hichkis, kaari aankhen, mehkhane, et al]

The soundtrack ends with ‘The Dabangg Theme’, the music of which is reminiscent of Kaminey’s background score, but that’s not even the half of it. It’s like the makers ripped the audio off of the theatrical trailer [dialogues, gunshots, dhishum-dhishum all included], and presented it as a score. The dialoguebaazi is entertaining, granted, but why not just – watch the trailer? Can you say bizarre?

The Verdict: Sajid-Wajid deliver on what they promise: a hardcore ‘dhinchak’ mass entertainer that’s bound to have even more impact once the film releases. The only dull moments [though RFAK fans will disagree] are ‘Tere Mast Mast Do Nain’ & ‘Chori Kiya Re Jiya’ – that being said, it’s far superior than the KJo-on-a-bad-day We Are Family soundtrack – Osman Khalid Butt

Music Bands

It’s heartening to see that slowly but surely musicians are climbing out of their self-created bubble. They accommodate reality in their songs and videos. Whether it’s Shehzad Roy or more recently Strings, the idea is to open doors to the world that surrounds us.

Strings’ recent video, ‘Ab Khud Kuch Karna Parega’ which also features pop favourite Atif Aslam is not a fluffy video by any stretch of the imagination. It is a conflicting video, much like the issues that continue to haunt us. The video includes dark imagery whether its violence in the streets or corruption in uniform, Strings haven’t made any attempts to beautify the reality but rather take a close look at it. They have been criticized for being vague. But the fact remains that Strings played out reality in their music and video which is hugely important in today’s times.

Now with the devastating floods which have destroyed homes, families, crops, land, infrastructure and left 20 million people displaced, the time is ripe for musicians to take notice. Atif Aslam, Shehzad Roy, Ali Azmat, Zeeshan Parwez are just some of the names who have been helping.

Musicians like Noori, Jal, Ali Azmat, Call and a few others gathered at the Mall of Lahore for a celebrity camp and managed to raise half a million rupees.

Others are participating in a telethon ala Strings to raise funds. Faakhir has teamed up with Pakistan Navy while Haroon has raised funds via concerts.

And more needs to be done. Pakistani-American musician Salman Ahmed is planning a song for the floods victims through which he plans to raise funds.

And more music needs to come out with a focus on our tremulous surroundings, if for nothing else than just to prove that in these difficult times, the music industry is not detached from reality. The only other band to have done a song about the floods have been Laal, whose poignant ‘Doob Gaya Hai’ is out as a reminder about the greatest natural catastrophe in recent history. One wishes others come out with songs related to the disaster that has affected 20 million people and needs to be kept in the news so the relief effort gains momentum.

Music can no longer be about bubblegum fluffy stuff. Or even if it is then it needs to be hardhitting in the vein of Shehzad Roy’s epic ‘Qismat Apnay Haat Mein’ and ‘Laga Reh’ or Laal who so profoundly brought Habib Jalib back to such powerful effect.

Patriotic spirit, introspection, soul stirring statements, questioning society is what’s needed at this hour and that doesn’t exclude the entertainment industry. After all, a society is never complete without the arts. And the arts should be signs of the time – Maheen Sabeeh