Altamash Mir
Sohail Rana is the son of renowned poet Rana Akbar Abadi. Young Sohail started showing interested in the arts at a very early age, first in painting and then in music, which he took up as his love and profession.
His first break came in 1962, when he was appointed as a composer in Radio Pakistan and also began composing in EMI. After that he did his first musical score and song for the movie Jab Say Dekha Hai Tumhain. The songs from this movie instantly topped the charts and proved to be a stepping stone in Sohail Rana’s brilliant career. Great film productions like Arman gave Sohail the opportunity to maximize his musical talents by embedding his fresh style of music and turning and twisting the mood of the entire movie.\
The video above is of one of Sohail Rana’s – and Pakistan film industry’s – greatest hits ever. The forever green ‘Akailey na jaana.’ The video below is a recent rendition of the same, with Sohail Rana conducting the music in Geo TV’s tribute show for him:
Sohail Rana understood the power of music and the effect it has on people. During the 60’s he observed that Western music was taking Pakistan by storm and people were beginning to forget the native folk music of the land.
During this period, in addition to doing music for films, he flexed his muscles as a composer and started working on private records such as Folk tunes of Pakistan, Shahbaz Qalandar and Khyber Mail. Many songs from these albums are still admired and re-performed by modern bands.
Listen to some wonderful instrumental tunes from ‘Khyber Mail’, here:
Harvest Time:
[audio:http://media.odeo.com/5/3/3/harvest.mp3]
Cobra Away:
[audio:http://media.odeo.com/0/4/6/cobraway.mp3]
Saat Maatray:
[audio:http://media.odeo.com/0/2/0/saat_maatray.mp 3]
To accomplish his goal of fusing together the modern music with folk melodies, he started a show on PTV in 1968 called Kaliyon ki Mala. He would take this opportunity to not only introduce traditional music to Pakistani kids but to also teach them about music. Kaliyon ki Mala stayed alive up until mid 80s under different names such as Sung Sung Chalein. In all these years of teaching youngsters to sing and understand music, Sohail Rana produced some of the most popular artists not only for Pakistan, but all of South Asia. He composed over 2000 songs for the childrens musical show.
Mr. Rana has received the prestigious Presidential Award the Pride of Performance, The Nigar Award for film Arman, Gold Discs from EMI for the vinyl album, Khyber Mail and the United Nations Peace Messenger Award, conferred on him, at the United Nations in New York in 1987.
Sohail Rana’s achievements in music are uncomparable to his triumph in causing rippling changes in the Pakistani society, where musicians and music were looked down upon and impermissible in the middle class. Overall, Mr. Rana has achieved what most people dare not dream in their entire lives. Sohail Rana now resides in Canada, runs a music school and is busy composing symphonies. His passion for music lives on and perhaps the best is yet to come, Inshallah!!!
Some of his best film work:
Ye khushi ajab khushi hai
Jab say deikha hai tumhain, dil ka ajab Aalam hai
Ko-Ko-Korina
Saye ki talab karney walo
Akele na jana,
Bay taab ho udhar tum
Jab pyar mein do dil miltay hain
Meri Qismet bata, hai meri kya kheta
Mujhay tum say mohabbat hai
Ik naye maur pay
Aye mere zindigi aye meray hum safar
Do akhian, ye do sakhian
Wada karo milo gey
Raatain theen chandni
Aashiyaan jal gaya
Hai bay qarar tamanna
Tujh jaisa dagha baaz
Bansiri bajanay walay
Aaj janay ki zid na karo
Dheeray, dheeray paoon rakh gori
Some of his other great songs:
Sohni dharti
Sung sung chaltay rehna
Dosti aisa nata
Shawa bhy shawa
Jeeway Pakistan
Mein bhee Pakistan hoon
Allah Akbar
Some of the Artists that he introduced:
Mohammad Ali Shehki; Habib Wali Mohammad; Amjad Hussain; Alamgir; Mona Sisters; Benjamin sisters; Nazia Hasan/Zohaib Hasan; Afshan Ahmed; Anwar Ibrahim; Fatima Jaffery; Adnan Sami Khan; Hadiqa Kiyani
Acknowledgement: The wonderfully informative essay of Sohail Rana by Anis Ahmad Shakur (here); also see updates where he is now and what he is doing here and here.
This is a re-post from original posted at ATP in October 2006 (videos added).
AOA,
I am agree with shakil husain. he’s right about our behaviour towords a great musician of Pakistan musical history.
I think he is in USA, where he is passing his time seprately but i think he will come to us before his death we need his patriotic songs because today pakistan entered a new era after great time… today democracy came into power. and he left us alone after zia era…………… why… ? any one like to give answer to my question.
Regards,
Mushhood Qureshi.
ISLAMABAD
I have not seen Sohail Rana Since ages…………
I wanted to see him . Please any one of you have his contact address or telephone number please posted here .
I will be really ….
Thankful ….
Fauzia
I am insearch for most wonderful album of my youth years ” Khyber Mail” by sohail rana. Unfortunately i am unable to find it. Can someone help
Dear Brother
It is very sad that our majical music gone now and we
never tried to get back that era again.As indian old
music revived and old music revived by their new
generation singers and they alive those old songs.
but we never tried to make programmes on those
Pakistani 1960s to 1980s memorable and evergreen
songs.
This is big selfishness with those evergreen songs
which we forgotten.And result is that ring tones are
avaible only indian songs or individual singers songs.
Our Media is responsable for this and those old
singers and old and new music directors who did unjustice with that Pakistani old
filmi music.
Our those old evergreen songs have much power then
indian songs but due to ignorance and selfishness we
lost our way.
regards
shakeel hussain
Sialkot city
I have seen Sohail Rana dining at a fast food take out (Called Popeye’s Chicken Restaurant) in Scarborough (Part of Greater Toronto Area). I could not recognize him on his first visit, but a colleague of mine told him that it was him. On the second visit, I asked him if he was what he is. He said yes. He looked very different. He looked old (certainly different when I was used to see him in Pakistan) and rather long hairs. People tell me he is running a music academy in Scarborough.