Ghani Khan’s ‘Reidi Gul’ to add essence to ‘Janaan’

Poem incorporated into film soundtrack to further Pashto poet’s message of peace, tolerance

KARACHI: A man stands alone in the midst of a nameless grey desert. Observing the silent echoes of misery all around, he mutters to himself, “Don’t lose heart!”

This has been the story of the fearless Pukhtuns – dotted with constant self-reminders that better days are yet to come. So much so, that you can hear poet Ghani Khan’s words of warning, melancholy and hope echoing through the land, off of its mountains peaks, dead flowers and the wings of the butterflies passing through.

Just as his people have stood through years and years of violence, which cost thousands of lives, Ghani’s Reidi Gul (Poppy flower) too, has stood the test of time. It has retained and exuded the essence of their homeland and so, it is only fitting that the iconic poem has been used in the first mainstream film from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Janaan.

“Reidi Gul has a spiritual impact, you see. It is rebellious and speaks of finding yourself amidst the crowd … you being unique,” Ahmed Ali, Janaan’s music director told The Express Tribune. “It also says that love always wins, which resonates in our story as the film is about love and family. Therefore, we have used the poem in a song for it connects to the film and our land.”

Producer Imran Raza Kazmi revealed that Janaan uses the poem not just for the sake of it but because it relates to the narrative.

“There are some things in the script that relate to Ghani’s poetry,” he explained. According to him, the film is supposed to break stereotypes and introduce Pukhtun culture to the mainstream Pakistani audience.



“It is purely a Pakistani story through which we aim to break stereotypes. I think the Pukhtuns are misunderstood. There are a lot of misconceptions about the people and we want to bring a truer, more beautiful picture of them to the larger Pakistani audience,” added Kazmi.

Janaan is mainly an Urdu feature with a little use of Pashto. The same goes for its music.

Ali said, “Most of the tracks are in Urdu and there is only one Pashto song. The background score is a mix of Pashto and western, to bring out the essence of the narrative.”

Exactly how Reidi Gul relates to the narrative remains yet to be seen. However, one thing that stands for sure is that Ghani’s iconic words will bring their beauty in the film.

Adding to Janaan’s appeal are Indian composers Salim-Sulaiman – along with singers Armaan Malik and Shreya Ghoshal – who have lent their talents to the soundtrack.

Ali was ecstatic to be working with the seasoned musicians. “It was great! A totally different experience because they brought something very unique to the table.”

He also gave due credit to the director of the film, Azfar Jafri. “He is brilliant! I might be the music director but I would say that 70% of the music has come from Azfar,” Ali shared. “He has great ideas about what he wants. When you get the story and look at it, you come up with ideas. But after you talk to Azfar, he makes you see the narrative from a totally different perspective. I think this really helps with producing music.”

Janaan stars actors Armeena Khan, Bilal Ashraf and Ali Rehman Khan and depicts a love triangle in the midst of an elaborate Pukhtun wedding. It is set to release on September 13.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 21^st, 2016.

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