11
Life for the common man in Pakistan has become tough due to terrorism, price hike, corruption, class discrimination, etc.
In their new message-oriented video Main to Dekhoonga (a sequel to the earlier Khud Kuch Karna Parega in collaboration with Atif Aslam) directed by Jami and shot in the Sindh districts of Ranikot and Sukkur, Bilal Maqsood and Faisal Kapadia of Strings unveil their hopes for a prosperous Pakistan.
The lyrics penned by Bilal Maqsood tackle the issues prevailing in the country and the video sees them surrounded by village children as Faisal Kapadia sings:
“Jab roti sasti hogi aur mehengi hogi jaan” (when bread will be cheap and life will be precious);
“Jab rang barange jhanday aik parcham mein ghul jayenge/Aur idhar udhar ko jaate raaste aik morh per mil jayenge...” (when colourful flags will merge into one national flag; and paths that lead in different directions will meet at one turning point);
“Jab mulk ko bech kar khane wale khud hazam ho jayenge” (when those who sell the country for personal gains will dissolve into nothingness);
“Jab bachchay mulk per raaj karen aur school me baithay hoon siyasatdaan” (when children [pure of heart and character] hold the reins of this country and politicians occupy seats in schools [read: reformation]).
Speaking to Images, Bilal Maqsood said, “A lot of people we know are moving out of Pakistan and suggest that we do the same. But you can’t just leave when things go bad. Main to Dekhoonga tackles all such issues. It’s for the people who’ve lost all hope, who want to move out and have little or no expectations from this country of ours. Our message to these people: take the music industry as an example. We’ve been in the industry for about 22 years and we’ve observed a cycle — things are better before they become worse seemingly to the point of no hope, but then there’s revival and the cycle continues.
“We firmly believe that Pakistan is also going through a cycle; it’s going through the worst period now and we don’t know how long it’ll last, but we are sure that Pakistan will bounce back.”
About what they hope to achieve from this track, Faisal says, “I can’t really say how beneficial these songs are. Many songs about peace and harmony have been made. Some work and others don’t. But, we believe that the effort should be there. Musicians should keep making an effort, it’s our job. If God has given us talent, we should use it in the right way.”
Musically, Main to Dekhoonga is a mellow track where inspirational tracks are usually fast-paced and catchy. It may well be regarded as the unofficial national anthem once the viewers give it a listen and decide for themselves how much they like it.
