Masked heroes v cruel sky lord: Ali Zafar’s new track ‘Raati Chann’ is a visual treat

The music video for the Punjabi song, featuring Buggs & Ozzy, is set in the fictional town of Andher Nagri

Ali Zafar is on a roll this year. The singer-actor released Raati Chann, a hopeful song for justice against discrimination and crime – the second in his series to be coupled with an animated music video. The mellow song also features the voices of Buggs & Ozzy (Salman Nafees and Usama Moeen.)

Zafar took to his social media to share his new single, which according to him, took almost a year to finish. “‘Chal bulleya chal othe chaliye jithe sare anne, na koi sadi zaat pachhane, na koi sanu manne’,” he quoted Bulleh Shah, given the words are part of the song too. “[Raati Chann] is created by the very talented Babrakk featuring an awesome duo Buggs & Ozzy who made me listen to this song and their acoustic guitars years ago and then here we are! Best of luck guys! Shine on,” he captioned the post.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Ali Zafar (@ali_zafar)

The almost five-minute clip features an alternate reality with two masked heroes in mechanised gears fighting “the cruel sky lord” and his men on motorbikes and in the air. Set in the fictional town of Andher Nagri, Raati Chann explores a classic superhero v villain scenario where good triumphs evil. The video gives context to the rage of the heroes who aim to avenge humanity – or what’s left of it – as they've grown under periods of extreme violence and crime.

The description for the music video states that the song is a “conversation between the deepest state of mind and the existing societal norms; A fusion of everything that ever was, and everything that ever will be, where weak remains powerless, where there is no escape from the same loop.”

It adds, “On the contrary, it also talks about hope for those who believe in positive change at a personal level. It explores the limitless capabilities of the human mind when it decides to stand up for what is right and stop what is wrong.”

The Punjabi lyrics demand a world where there’s no discrimination based on caste, religion, colour and gender and people are seen for the kind of human beings they are. In one week, the song has already garnered over 286,380 views.

Last month, Ali released a single, his debut with animation, with his brother Danyal Zafar titled Raat Din. The song itself subtly represented the duality of night and day and the effect each has on the emotions of a man. These emotions, however, remain unchanged when one is in love and the singers express how they continued to dream of their lover, awake or asleep.