Javed Bashir sings for Indo-Pak peace

Lead singer of Mekaal Hasan Band is happy for the respect and love India has given him.

LAHORE: Having become a regular pick by Indian composers, lead vocalist of Mekaal Hasan Band, Javed Bashir is excited about the success of his songs in Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai Dobara and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. The globetrotting Bashir is happy for the respect and love India has given him. “I have travelled around the world and the amount of love I have received in India has been an honour.”

With all the accolades he has received in India, Bashir is all for friendly ties between the neighbouring countries. Doing his bit to foster the process, Bashir told The Express Tribune that he plans on releasing a collaborative single with music director Shankar Mahadevan, which will be about Indo-Pak peace.

Bashir has composed the song titled Aao Muhabbat Ka Ghun Gaya, which will feature Mahadevan on vocals.

“This will be a big track that will help build a bridge for peace between India and Pakistan. We had plans to release the track last year, but my visa had been delayed. I am planning to release it on my next tour to India,” said Bashir.



The track will be the title song of his album Dholna, which is a tribute to Bashir’s teacher Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Bashir said that he will be releasing the album soon.

“It is a great blessing of God that I was able to give tribute to Khan Sahib. He was such a great teacher that it became difficult for me to do justice to the song vis-à-vis his kindness. But, luckily, I have been able to combine Khan sahib’s traditional singing style with that of my own and I am sure everyone will like the result,” expressed Bashir.

Bashir said vocalists such as Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Shreya Ghoshal have a great fan following in Pakistan.

He also mentioned that his favourite male singers are Ustad Rasheed Ahmed Khan, Mahadevan, Hariharan ji, and Roop Kumar Rathod, whom he is also friends with.

His single Yeh Tune Kya Kiya in Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai Dobara has been directed by ace music director Pritam.

The song, which has a touch of qawwali, features Bashir’s voice in a versatile fashion. Bashir provided a sufi and classical dimension to Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’s two songs Mera Yaar and O Rangrez. The latter is a duet with Ghoshal.

“O Rangrez is very special because of the way it has been composed in the classical thumri style — a method which many major music composers in the past have used. The credit for making a great song like this [O Rangrez] goes to Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy,” he said.

Bashir added that the Mekaal Hassan Band will be releasing its single, Aaon Sayion, soon. The song has been composed by Bashir and arranged by Mekaal Hassan. It features Muhammed Ahsan Pappu on flutes, Amir Azhar on guitars and Gumby on drums.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 15^th, 2013.

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