Hail Individuality! I am back to blog!

Coke Studio came, saw and conquered and hope that it will keep conquering. The first episode INDIVIDUALITY has gotten rave reviews. I have listened tracks whole week and thought to blog something about what effect they have left on me. Starting with Aj Latha Nayeeo, this composition is a rave fusion of east meets rock, true to the essence of Coke Studio. Javed Bashir’s vocals give you a rush which is perfectly aligned with the maestro of drumming Gumby.  But it would be important to say that Jawad Bashir has not given full justice to the lyrics (like Atif and Noori have given) because if you ask your beloved in that aggressive tone, s/he would go instantly forget staying for a while.

Then comes Paimona. If you’re Zeb and Haniya fan, you might not like this in a first go simply because the original version was so soulful and mellow. But after hearing coke studio version 3^rd or 4^th time, you feel wow and it is a possibility than you like it more than the original which happened in my case… it simply grows over you. The rubab and matka adds a rustic touch to it and vocals of Zeb Bangash as smooth as silk. I have always found Persian to be a very romantic language, and the fact that Paimona is Omer Khayyam’s Rubayi makes it even more special because of the mystical connection. The Pashto/Darri in original version always sounded kind of ajeeb once you know the words. I am not fan of that language; maybe time will expose me to its beauty as everything has something awe-inspiring.

Jaffar Zaidi’s keyboard is at excellence in Khamaj and Shafqat’s vocals didn’t bring anything new to the table as far as experimentation is concerned but still its a good and soulful listen.

After a performance packed with simplicity, rock star comes on the stage. Atif Aslam did such an awesome job. The arrangement makes you groove whereas Atif’s vocals are nothing less than a genius. He presents you with variety of moods, perfect for that very moment in the ocean of words and the way he gels Khan Saheb’s song is remarkable… a lot of people will be getting jealous but they can’t deny the sheer brilliance of this singer. The song ends as if it is lost in the wind like a fragrance. Natasha D’souza and Saba did an amazing job with backing vocals and it was evident that everyone in the house had fun making this masterpiece.

And the saved the best of the last. Once you listen either Saeein Zahoor (or Abida Parveen), you cannot help but fall in love with their music. Saeein Zahoor and Noori collaborate on Aik Alif which is Bulleh Shah’s kalam. Saeein Zahoor leads the stage with his aura and heritage, after which noori takes things forward and how giftedly! I never expected something of this caliber from noori, Ali Hamza is mesmerizing with his deep vocals and banjo guitar whereas Ali Noor gives rock a real sufi touch and not something superficial like Junoon always did. I don’t want to go into more details because the best doesn’t need to be described, I guess it is the power of the kalam which transcends, ‘hum mann ke dariya main dubey kia naya kia manjdaar, bas karee ho yaar ilmu!’. Rohail Hayat the mastermind behind this project said in an interview, “Can you imagine what this will be like when young Noori fans see them with Saieen Zahoor? Because Noori are cool and they are singing with Saieen, suddenly Saieen will become cool to some who do not know him at all.” This itself speaks of the dearth of promotion and pride that we have built in our nation for our artists.

M. Omair with his team at Creative Chaos and Selina(yeah the same lady who did backup vocals in first season) at The Lotus PR has did an exceptional job with online marketing on facebook page and their site which has given the fans and critique a platform for interaction and for them a chance to rejoice the quality this product has offered. As far as the visuals are concerned, the image quality is unmatched but I have always found Zeeshan Parvez to be overrated in his directorial and dop capacity but here he was able to pull off a decent job, maybe because of the presence of Adnan Malik. He did awesome job with Paimona and Aik Alif. Else was only good in parts and Khamaj was seriously bad as far as visuals are concerned. But then it is good enough for general public. The quality of music is more important actually. I liked Sohail Javed’s work which had aesthetic brilliance without the best of cameras and at the same time the raw live feel to it. Let’s see if it is able to keep up with the expectations for the next episodes, last time the excellence of fusion decreased with each episode though experimentation was still there. Hope for the best!.

 

Sub Keh Do!

Out of necessity, blogged at http://oneimageless.tk for this post.

 

You’re Invited!

30 Artists and 200 Photographs out of which three are my photographic works which will be displayed on the walls.

You can read my posts related to 7th Kara Film Fest at:

Filams

Documentaries

I would write about Firaaq which bagged the best movie award later on this blog.

 

Hail philosophy!

A friend asked why finance and accounting is so boring?

My answer was, because it doesn’t deal with pythagoras’s theories of numbers.

 

Satrangi Re!

It’s like nearly a month that I have not blogged and that is bad.

I went to day screenings of Kara Film Festival today which comprises of shorts, documentaries and indie work. Had a great time. Every time I go there, it reminds me that I had a passion for direction which seems to be sort of distant dream now. Priorities are also in a maze. Then IBA is organizing a documentary competition for students. Should I give it a try? Okay I will come up with a concept and even a script but I don’t have fund for equipment. Even if there is equipment, I don’t have a team who knows how to use it. Making something unpresentable with a lot of hard work is no good either. But having something than nothing isn’t bad either. I am stuck!

One thing that I still want to say, a thing which I also blogged at KMB is, seriously feel that we are really good with stories and characterization but we need to work on screenplay and camera angles/composition big time and sometimes vice versa. Somehow both come seldom in a project. Something which is of Mehreen Jabbar’s calibre.

Chalo dekhte hain zindagi kis mor par le jati hai.

 

It is written.

I need to blog this, I am so thrilled to hear that Rahman won a gloden globe for the possibly awesomest soundtrack

of Slumdog Millionaire. And I can bet the only things which makes it a feel-good movie is firstly the soundtrack followed by crisp editing/screenplay/cinematography and the youngest jamal.

My picks: O saya, Latika’s Theme/Dreams on Fire, Ringa Ringa and Jai Ho. Mausam&Escape and Millionaire are also good. All in all, the whole album is a must listen!

Now fingers crossed for Oscars. This guy deserves it!

 

you’re my laughter from childhood games

When I got to know that my dad is suffering from Glaucoma, tears rolled out of my eyes. I knew HE is there to wipe them off so they didn’t appear. I am sure HE would take care. Amen.

 

No Shoe-cide Attack!

Firstly, my blog got reviewed at Discover Pakistani Bloggers and I agree with every word of it but at the same time I am also get demotivated when there isn’t enough interaction on the blog but then it is no excuse not to blog. I am still trying to take time out to update both of my blogs and other photography sharing portals. Btw just updated the photo blog with a post called The Veil.

Secondly, I am sharing my views on the Size Ten Shoe Incident finally. I didn’t want to post anything just after the event because you can’t make a clear view while you and everyone else is caught up in emotion. There is a great debate whether the act of Muntadhar al-Zeidi was ethical or not? I don’t even want to get judgmental over correctness of this act. I still think that we are either seeing the whole situation in a very simplistic manner or our conclusions are very simple. He threw shoes and the world applaud. I would say it loud that the act itself of insulting is wrong but given the situation that the people of Iraq has gone through, of what he was also part of, it was natural only in this situation and one cannot be judgmental about it. It was a catharsis for all. On the other end, It doesn’t even matter for someone like Bush or his decision-making committee at this point of time when he is leaving his presidential seat.

The most ridiculous thing was the role of media and muslim fraternity. Incidents happen, muslims are questioned but we are unable to act properly. We never see the good for the larger community and it is only through correct behavior that we can do any sustainable good. It is important to let the hollow powers know that one would not accept the torture on Zeidi but at the same time, stop calling him a hero. This will encourage others to take the same route, people might be liking it for many reasons but it is not the best way to let the world know.

If any journalist, media person or activist start acting in such irresponsible ways for any reason, we will only produce more violence. In this way, they would not only insult their profession, the human dignity but also would not be effective to create a change. Their action swill get limited to mere voicing of their opinions. It is high time that people start realizing that throwing shoes or bombs(in US case) would not bring peace but would only intellectual debate, tolerance and acceptance to the notion of pluralism.

Briefly, for any group, your words and behavior is good enough to prove.