Who doesn’t remember Ali Aftab Saeed from Aaloo Anday, Meri Qaum Barri Jazbaati Hai and Pen Di Siri? He’s back with a new song, Sham-e-Firaq. It’s very different from his work with the outfit he’s most famous for being associated with: Beyghairat Brigade.

A quick recap for the infants who may not be familiar with Ali Aftab Saeed. Sometime in 2011, he founded Beyghairat Brigade [Group Without Honour]. He continues to be the band’s lead vocalist. They shot to fame when they released the first of three satirical tracks, Aalu Anday [Potatoes and Eggs] — a tongue-in-cheek swipe at militancy, religious extremism and the funny contradictions inherent in Pakistani society. The song was everywhere — probably one of Pakistan’s earlier YouTube hits, it was played on TV (at the time we still had some music channels). But it’s been eight years since the song’s release and nothing has changed since.

The band followed Aalu Anday with Paisay Ka Game [The Money Game] in 2013. It did all right but came nowhere close to the success of Aalu Anday. Their third single Dhinak Dhinak [a percussive sound] was also released in 2013 and this one did fairly well.

He sort of disappeared somewhere in between until resurfacing with Pen di Siri in 2017 — and in true Beyghairat Brigade/Ali Aftab Saeed-style, this too was a tongue-in-cheek comment on the sociopolitical condition of the country back then. The song came after the Faizabad sit-in by a religio-political party and the agreement that led to the resignation of a former law minister. The title of the song, a Punjabi pseudo-swear phrase employed by the leader of the party, was already a meme on social media. The song took a jibe at the civil-military leadership for their handling of the incident and allowing religious fanatics to ‘take over.’

Ali Aftab Saeed sheds the fun, witty, over-the-top persona he’s embodied with Beyghairat Brigade to reveal a softer side with his latest, Faiz’s Sham-e-Firaq

He’s released quite a bit of material in between, but somehow, it never made the same mark as his satirical songs with Beyghairat Brigade. Perhaps it’s hard to look at someone differently whose initial impression has been firmly implanted in your head. But with Ali Aftab Saeed, we must. Because Sham-e-Firaq is worth it. It’s not something completely out of the ordinary, but it’s a song where Ali makes himself more… vulnerable.

With Sham-e-Firaq, we see a completely different side of the singer songwriter. This ghazal reveals Ali’s more emotive, introspective side as through this ballad he explores the bittersweet pain of separation. The arrangement is quite simple leaving the focus on the voice. The lyrics are of course from a ghazal by the iconic poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz.

Sham-e-Firaq is one of Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s well known ghazals and has previously been sung by Farida Khanum, Abida Parveen and Tina Sani, among others. The video for the song shows Ali in a traditional kurta shalwar and shawl and singing sitting next to a lake, on a rowboat in the middle of the water, and walking through the ruins of a building. These are settings that evoke feelings of peace and tranquility but also of desolation.

This is a shortened version of Faiz’s original ghazal. Ali sings only three couplets from it. Perhaps that is a reflection of the times we live in — we want even our ghazals to be short and quick — but they are enough to create the mood. And it is undoubtedly a very melodic mood.

Sham-e-Firaq, or the eve of separation, is meant to be very difficult but this ballad talks about how, Sham-e-firaq ab na poochh, aayi aur aa ke tal gayee / Dil tha ke phir behel gaya, jaan thi ke phir sanbhal gayi [Of that evening of separation, do not ask, it came and then passed /The heart too got distracted, the self too recovered]. There’s a lot of self-regulating of emotions throughout the song. There is talk about conflict and reconciliation, of coming to terms with the inevitable end of the relationship but also relapsing back into love from the memories. The lyrics are, of course, beautiful and the context provided complex and apt for modern relationships — even though it was written for another generation and in another era.

From making a name with satire to singing soulful ghazals, it’ll be interesting to see where Ali Aftab Saeed takes his music next.

Published in Dawn, ICON, January 26th, 2020