Shani to release full version of ‘Bhit Ja Bhittai’

Music composer on putting together viral TVC jingle

KARACHI:

The life cycle of composer Shani Arshad’s latest jingle Bhit Ja Bhittai plays out quite interestingly. Initially a 40-second track for an advert of a mobile service provider, the tune seems to have ballooned into an online phenomenon and just a couple of weeks after being aired, the jingle became an instant hit. Its snowball success prompted the music producer — colloquially known as Shani — to start preparing for the release of a full-length version.

“A couple of days on after the TVC was first screened, I was bombarded with countless messages and posts on my Facebook, with people requesting me to release a full-length version of the song,” said Shani, whilst speaking to The Express Tribune. The pleas of his fans seem to have borne fruit as the Na Maloom Afraad (NMA) composer revealed that he is currently in the process of finalising his rendition of the popular Sindhi kalam. Although a preview version has already been made available on multiple platforms and channels, Shani clarified that his track will, in fact, be released independently of the brand.





This is, of course, not the first time Shani’s musical numbers have gone on to develop a life of their own. With the NMA trailer’s soundtrack, his professional commitments did not let him work on any of those tracks or jingles further — a mistake Shani is not willing to repeat. “I’m mainly doing this to cater to popular demand. I’ve missed out on so many similar opportunities in the past just because I didn’t have the time to do so,” he lamented.

The concept for the TVC and Shani’s own experience of working on the track share striking similarities. Having doubled up as both composer and playback singer on the song, he explained that had things gone according to plan, he wouldn’t have been required to step into the vocal booth in the first place. “I was actually waiting for the singer to arrive from Sindh but he was unable to, due to unforeseen circumstances. Ultimately, I was forced to do the singing.”



It might have been just a jingle but the project required a lot of research and effort on Shani’s part. With no Sindhi singer at his disposal, the composer remarked how he had to get in touch with his friends on Sindhi television channels to help him work on his pronunciations. Audiences have been quick in drawing similarities to Coke Studio, where a folk song is presented in a new garb with modern musical arrangements. Shani, however, pointed out that it was not the case. “Let me clarify this is not a remix or a cover. Even to-date, people sing Ghalib’s poetry in songs but that doesn’t mean they aren’t original. Plus Bhit Ja Bhittai is not a folk song but a kalam. Therefore, I had to work on everything from the ground up. I even had to come up with my own original musical composition,” he proclaimed.

While the poetic verses drove Shani towards the kalam but they were not the only reason why he decided to use them in particular. “What excited me most about this project was that I got to work on a Sindhi track – something which hasn’t been done a lot in Pakistan’s mainstream music,” he noted.

The jingle has become a raging success following its release and there is no shortage of appreciation coming his way. One of the best compliments that Shani has received was from none other than Bollywood director Anurag Kashyap, during the time when the jingle was still under production. “I had initially sent in a rough version to be used in the TVC directed by Anurag. But he liked the work-in-progress so much, he requested that no more changes be made to it,” shared Shani, brimming with excitement.

With a new music video for the full-length version being made from scratch, Shani revealed that he had already spoken to a director and ironed out details for a concept as well — all of which will be revealed in due time. “The director recently visited interior Sindh to seek inspiration for the music video as we want to do something that is representative of the region’s culture.”

Bhit Ja Bhittai’s success is not a first for Shani. But for someone known for his work on film soundtracks, Shani acknowledged that he was concerned movie songs did not catch on with Pakistani audiences in the same manner as singles from Bollywood or Coke Studio. He identified the lack of airplay as a major factor. “For any song to become successful it needs extensive coverage. Just look at Gerua from Dilwale and other Bollywood songs,” said Shani. “The reason they do well in Pakistan is because they are being played all the time on local music channels. The same applies to Bhit Ja Bhittai which has done well because it was released as part of a TVC. Unfortunately Pakistani songs aren’t given such coverage,” he added.

Aside from his work on jingles, Shani has multiple film projects in the pipeline, the first of which involves composing four songs for the upcoming comedy Actor In Law.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 11^th, 2016.

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