Ali Sher returns to the fold with ‘Bachaana’

Music producer helms soundtrack for upcoming film featuring vocal talent of Bollywood singer Clinton Cerejo

KARACHI:

During the 1990s, a string of singers surfaced amid an industry that was then at its peak. But many of them couldn’t quite get a break due to the abundance of talent at the time. As the local music scene gradually began to dismantle in the late 90s, these artists had no choice but to revert to another profession in music or call it quits. One musician who experienced the undulating phase of the Pakistani music industry is Ali Sher. Known for songs, such as Mann Marzi and Chan Sajna, he had retreated to his recording studio only to resurface as a music producer for the Mohib Mirza- and Sanam Saeed-starrer Bachaana.

Despite having over a decade’s worth of experience as a singer and multiple albums to his credit, Sher primarily terms himself a producer. “I had always considered myself a music producer first. Even prior to my singing career, I had been making jingles and soundtracks for television commercials (TVCs) and serials,” he said. But while he remains occupied with his career as a music producer, he still has not closed doors on singing. “I try to release a single whenever I get a chance but it obviously is not the same as it was earlier in my career when there were multiple record labels.”



Sher, who is helming the film’s soundtrack alongside local music band Symt and Indian music producer Prasad Saste, has recorded the titular song for Bachaana, which features the vocals of Indian singer Clinton Cerejo and budding Pakistani musician Komal Ghazanfar. Of his experience working on the soundtrack for Bachaana, he said the process of creating music for a motion picture was the same as that for a single. “Director Nasir Khan briefed me about what kind of song he wanted for the movie and I tried to work within those guidelines,” he stated.

But the real learning experience for Sher has been to work on the background score for Bachaana. Having been provided with just a few rushes of the movie, Sher said producing the background score for the movie was a ‘trial-and-error’ process. “Looking at the footage, I just had to gauge what kind of soundtrack or sound would complement that particular scene. That was something new for me,” he stated.



Having just wrapped up work on the film’s score and soundtrack, Sher has no shortage of projects as he has already started composing songs for another movie, which is expected to go on the floors this February.

Directed by Nasir Khan, Bachaana features Mohib Mirza, Sanam Saeed and Adeel Hashmi in prominent roles. The first trailer of the film is to be released on January 5 and the movie will hit theatres in February. In an earlier interview with The Express Tribune, the film’s director had shared a few plot details of the film, saying, “Bachaana is about an Indian woman and a Pakistani man, and how they meet in Mauritius and embark on a journey together.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 5^th, 2016.

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