Adil Najam
In my August 12 ATP post I had written about this wonderful ad from Mobilink and the even more wonderful song from Mehdi Hasan that it was based on. I had mentioned how, for me, it is my all-time favorite Pakistani milli naghma and I simply cannot hear it with getting goosebumps, and more.
In a comment sabizak mentioned that there was also a video version of this. I did not know that and began looking for it on the web. I just found it. You can view it here. At the center of the page the song should be the only one under ‘video list.’
I have been listening to and watching this song repeatedly since I found it some half hour ago. This version does not seem to have the entire song. My favorite line (hum tou mehz unwaaN thay, asl daastaN tum ho…) is missing, for example. However, the other amazing line (yeh watan amaanat hai, aur tum ameen loogo..) is very much there.
I had always loved the old PTV version – with the screen split in half, Khan sahib with his harmonium on the left half of the screen and black and white still pictures flashing on the right. But this video is an amazingly powerful one, for different reasons.
I am not ashamed to say that the first few times I replayed it my eyes swelled up. Not just because of what the song means to me, but mostly because the video has evocatively included Mehdi Hasan into the video… sitting there on a wheel chair, tears glistening in his eyes, the lines on his face not even trying to hide the rush of unrestrained emotions, memories, hopes, fears, and more.
What a wonderful tribute, with what a wonderful song, to what a wonderful artist!
P.S. For those who may not know, and as one sees in this video, Khan sahib suffered a paralytic stroke in 2005 and his health continues to be a grave concern for his many admirers.
Shoaib, I believe Shaan has been signed by Mobilink on a contractual basis. Maybe you will also remember Mobilink’s tribute to Nur Jehan last year. (Ay watan kay sajaylay jawano) This is also why you see him on the billboards across the country. I actually am glad that he diversified beyond films.
The current video is also linked to Shaan. The video I am referring to has a lady decked up in a Sari looking somewhat like Nur Jehan but I have a feeling she is actually related to Shaan because the lady’s looks resemble with Shaan’s mother (Neelo), the heroine from the past (60s & 70s)
This Nur Jehan video is as meticulously produced as the one that we are discussing right now ie., the Mehdi Hasan one
As the PTV live show showed last night, the video has apparently been directed by Shan, our new Sultan Rahi. :) He requested Khan sahib to sing, but he politely declined, saying his health doesn’t allow it. He agreed to, though, appear in the video. And how well that worked out. :)
corporate sponsorship has come to the rescue in a most apt manner than i can remember…Mehsi Hasan has made recovery from his stroke and i am secretly hoping that the audio is recent…the 80’s audio is much more crisp and the audio in the clip is that belonging to someone much older. i hope i am proven correct on this one…can someone else confirm if they can make out the audio to be a recent recording? for someone training classically, i would not be surprised that the king of ghazal can still manage a tune or two
My mother used to sing this one:
Hum layi heiN tufan se yeh kishti nikal ke
Is mulk to rakhna merey bacho sambhal key
I’ve never actually heard the original version (or any professional version), is it available on the net somewhere?
I stumbled across the full Mobilink video last night whilst channel hopping. It really is wonderful, even better than the 1980s PTV version, if that is possible. The shots of a frail, yet visibly moved Mehdi Hasan sitting on his wheelchair surrounded by children are particularly poignant.
You were not the only whose eyes swelled up the first few times the song played…