Border Crossing
Fifteen Pakistani bands have touched base with India this year. And it looks like we’ll be seeing more of them, says Teena Baruah
CHANCES are you may not have heard of Aaroh. But when Shamir Tandon, chief operating officer of Virgin Music, heard the Pakistani hard rock and fusion band from Karachi, he signed them up pronto to sing and produce the title track of the Mahesh Manjrekar-directed Rakth.
Aaroh came here in early 2004 bringing with them their debut album Sawaal, hoping to find a record label to release it in India. ‘‘I found them very talented and willing to go that extra mile,’’ recalls Tandon. ‘‘They went back to Pakistan, created a website and gave me a password, so that I could hear their track any time and suggest changes.’’
The song Rakth, which was thus conceived through e-mails, is a dark and pacy track based on Raag Bhairavi. Tandon is impressed. ‘‘I am convinced we do live in a borderless world,’’ he says. The band is currently negotiating with Sony Music for an Indian release of Sawaal.
Aaroh is not the only one taking advantage of the thaw. Since January, more than 15 Pakistani bands have crossed the border at least once. The signs are everywhere, from music charts to Bollywood countdowns to recording labels. The best thing is none of them have returned empty-handed.
Fuzon, a fusion band comprising vocalist Shafqat, Immu (keyboard) and Shallum have just made their second India trip. The first one was to release their debut album Aakhon Ke Saagar (Virgin). And now they’ve been signed on to sing ‘‘one or two songs’’ in Nagesh Kukunoor’s forthcoming sequel, Hyderabad Blues 2 Rearranged Marriage.
Fuzon also features on MTV India in a programme called MTV Moto Alert. Erum, the band’s manager, is optimistic. ‘‘We sing romantic ballads and these have a huge market in India,’’ he says.
Bollywood is the force that draws the young talent from Pakistan. According to film-maker Mahesh Bhatt, a director needs two to 30 singers a year. Multiply that by the number of film-makers across the country, and you’ll see there’s enough space for these Pakistani bands.
In 1992, popular Pakistani pop band Strings released their second album Sar Kiye Yeh Pahar, which was pirated all over India and played at Mumbai clubs. So the next time singer Faisal Kapadia and guitarist/singer Bilal Maqsood cut a new album, Duur, they roped in Magnasound to release it in India.
‘‘It wasn’t tough getting Magnasound to sign us. Thanks to piracy they had already heard about us and our music,’’ Kapadia says.
Strings, which released its album Dhaani (Sony) in India on May 15, jam on one track with Hariharan. Meanwhile, Pooja Bhatt has just signed them on for one of her forthcoming films.
The band, which recently sung Jeet Lo Dil with Euphoria for the Indo-Pak cricket series, will tour six cities in India this month. ‘‘The road is open now,’’ says Kapadia.
But Karachi to New Delhi isn’t an easy trek. ‘‘The Indian music industry is dominated by film music. It is difficult for pop stars to make a dent here,” says Pakistani singer Hadiqa Kiani.
‘‘Also, filmi music is more visible. We’re stars back home, with our own tried and tested success formulae. But here no one knows us,’’ adds the artiste who has just released her first album Rang (Universal Music).
Plus, the flow of artistes depends entirely on the dynamics of Indo-Pak relations. For instance, Kapadia recalls how he regretted the journey to India via Dubai for a concert after the 2001 Parliament attack.
So what really explains this great cultural rush? ‘‘Wider travel avenues and easier access to visas,’’ says Shehryar Ahmed, manager of Karachi-based rock band Junoon.
Film-maker Mahesh Bhatt, who has signed five Pakistani bands, calls it a necessity. ‘‘It’s time we invested in each other or lived in isolation and burnt ourselves out.’’
What goes in favour of these bands is that most of them are genuinely talented. Tandon, who has screened about 15 Pakistani bands since January 2004, says, ‘‘Unke gaane, bol aur gayaki mein jaadu hai. Their problem is that they don’t have great equipment or recording facilities.’’
‘‘What makes their music so sexy is their deep-rooted restlessness. Their pop music isn’t about getting and keeping a woman. It’s mature and multi-dimensional. They revolt rather than conform,’’ says Bhatt, who regularly surfs Pakistani music websites like www.undergroundkarachi.com in search of new talent.
And that’s where he discovered 23-year-old Glen John who is singing two songs in his next film Zeher, set to release in October. Pooja Bhatt has also signed Junoon’s Ali Azmat to sing a ‘‘sensational’’ number in Rog.
Now the crucial question: Why didn’t it come about earlier? ‘‘The problem has always been on their side. They’ve earlier tried to remain insular thinking a cultural exchange like this might wipe out their music industry. Now globalisation has left them with no other choice,’’ says Bhatt. But artistes from across the border blame the lengthy process of acquiring visas and the lack of people-to-people contact.
Insiders also claim a strong business sense rules this Indo-Pak musical love story. Plagued by piracy, Indian music recording companies are willing to take fewer risks. So when Pakistani music bands come to them with ready-made albums and a reasonable fan following, they are only too happy to oblige.
‘‘Whether these albums sell or not, we don’t have much at stake,’’ admits Tandon. For the Pakistani bands, a pan-Asian identity is a plus. “It automatically adds credibility to your music and you sell more,’’ says Aaroh’s Kamran.
Either way, let the music play on.
link : http://www.indianexpress.com/full_story.php?content_id=48153
