It took us a whole year to make 'Pasoori' but we created a hybrid new genre: Ali Sethi

Pasoori, the Coke Studio track that everyone’s now obsessed with, has garnered over 10 million views on Youtube since it first came out on February 7. That’s more views than Mehram, Sajan Das and even Kana Yaari could garner in the same amount of time.

The Ali Sethi and Shae Gill number has received praise for its catchy melody, lyrics, bohemian set and impeccable performances by the artists involved. Earlier, Ahmed Ali Butt called it “the most visually appealing song,” of this CS season. Actor Adnan Siddiqui also called Ali Sethi “a maestro,” adding, “but Pasoori belongs to Shae Gill.”

Pasoori also caught the attention of Rupi Kaur, who gave a shout out to Sethi and Gill on her Insta Stories. “The words, the sound, the video, Ali Sethi, all of it makes me want to go and write a love poem,” shared the poet. “Shae Gill, your voice…” she added sounding almost enchanted.

Now, Sethi and Gill have taken to their social media handles to express how overwhelmed they both are. Sethi also detailed the making of Pasoori, to elaborate on the thought that went into creating the audio-visual treat. Sharing snippets from behind the scenes, Sethi wrote in a post on his Insta: “Moments from the set of Pasoori – trending since two days in a row, fastest 1M views this season, yada yada. We hadn’t finished writing lyrics until 12 hours before the shoot." He even revealed that he contracted Covid-19 in the process, on the set.

“But what an insanely fulfilling project from start to end. Xulfi took many risks and indulged all my fancies, I am indebted to you and so grateful. Abdullah Siddiqui, you are an absolute unicorn — I still can’t fathom how you banger-ified what was just a ditty in my head? Saima Bargfrede I want your hair, Fatima Butt, I want your rings, Kamal Khan, let’s make a video in Austin? And Shae, I’ve had a hundred people tell me you are ‘the Dua Lipa of Pakistan’. You are you, and there’s no one like you,” he shared, almost in awe of everyone involved in the project to ensure his fans know it takes real team work to make any dream work.

“Thank you all for helping me make this song about building bridges, transcending borders, and undoing binaries. I have a feeling it will do those things for a long time to come,” concluded the singer.

Sethi’s following posts gave a lowdown of the symbolism used in Pasoori to shed light on the undertone of the messages conveyed. Sharing a screenshot of his conversation with someone, who shared with him their understanding of Pasoori, the singer wrote, “It took us a whole year to make this song… to blend the Turkic, Indic, Arab, Persian, and yes, the global placeless, ubiquitous ‘beats’ vibe that is also our inheritance… But I think we created a hybrid new genre in the process. Abdullah Siddiqui, I want to call it Ragaton.”

A post breaking down Sethi’s look also explained, “The tones in Sethi’s outfit speak to the colour of love and ‘Pasoori,’ a term synonymous with angst in Punjabi. Without romanticising the weight of our feelings, as we try holding onto a parting lover, this song gives you hope that we can turn anguish into melody and art. The monotony of the look and the sufi hat lends to the idea of Ali being a messenger, passing through to tell us a tale that beauty can come from immense pain and it can be transformative.”

Gill took the opportunity to pen an appreciation post of her own for everyone who made Pasoori happen. “When Pasoori was in the works, I knew I was a part of something exceptional but watching the end product had me staring in disbelief. The concept, the lyrics, the visuals, the sound, all of it is magic!” she shared in a post on her Instagram. “Thank you to the entire team of Pasoori, the musicians, the sound team, the models, the dancers, the lights and camera crew, the bts team, each and every one of you!” she concluded after tagging and praising all the team members.

Pasoori also marks Gill’s first Coke Studio appearance and now, hopefully, it won’t be her last.

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