Tamanna: An uplifting collaboration

Tradition Plus is set to produce music for UK-Pakistani film Tamanna.

LAHORE:

The long-awaited film Tamanna, directed by Steve Moore and slated to be completed in 2012, has entered into a partnership with music company Tradition Plus for the production of its soundtrack.

Tradition Plus is the brainchild of cultural icons Mian Yousuf Salahuddin, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Sahir Ali and this soundtrack is one of the first projects undertaken by their company. On New Year’s eve, audiences got a glimpse of the film’s potential when Fire Records released the film’s first single “Koi Dil Mein”. Performed by Khan with Salauhddin behind the musical direction and Ali responsible for the composition, the track has become popular for its rustic sound and classical jazz score. Recently, the song has been playing on a lot of major Pakistani television channels.

Collaboration details

To announce this collaboration, a press conference at Salahuddin’s haveli has been planned for the end of January, which would most likely be complemented by a performance by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and a discussion with the film’s cast and crew. Although talks are still in process, up to four to five songs as well as the film’s background score will be sung by the highly sought after Khan.

The singer has already worked with leading directors from Bollywood as well as Hollywood, the list includes the likes of veteran actor and director Mel Gibson. BBC Asia recently shot a documentary film about the singer’s meteoric rise which traces his humble beginnings from Faisalabad to Bollywood stardom.

Inside look into “Koi Dil Mein”

The black and white video for the song offers a few glimpses and teasers into the actual film. According to Sarah Tareen, the producer of Tamanna, the video includes a mise en abyme technique in which flashbacks are shown. While Khan plays the central character in the video, it shows a few glimpses of Feryal Ali Gauhar, Salman Shahid and Umair Rana’s characters in the film.

Regarding the concept of the film, Tareen says, “we wanted to capture the essence of the subcontinent cinema/music of the past but at the same time create something entirely unique.” Tareen who started working on the concept for the film in 2010 said that the film has been approached like an independent project.

Challenges faced

Although Tamanna has undergone countless delays, the producer insists that the film will surprise audiences when it is released in 2012. Similar to Bilal Lashari’s production Waar, the film has been shot in High Definition (HD). “Making films in Pakistan always take longer. It becomes even more difficult when it is an independent project which is financed by private investors,” says Tareen.

The theme of the film tries to connect with the average Pakistani, and attempts to move away from typical films. Currently, the project is in the process of wrapping up its final scenes which are being shot in interior Punjab.

With the majority of the post-production work being done in England and the rest being completed in Lahore, the project is expected to be completed by summer this year. 

Published in The Express Tribune, January 11^th, 2012.