Abdullah Siddiqui brings together celebrated female singers for ‘Wakhri’

As Pakistan’s newest festival darling anticipates its nationwide theatrical release on January 4, director Iram Parveen Bilal’s drama film Wakhri is promising a stellar album! Helmed by the renowned music producer Abdullah Siddiqui, the film has rounded up big female singers from the contemporary music scene.

Taking to his Instagram handle, Siddiqui made a collaborative post announcing a multi-artist album for Wakhri with the caption, “I produced four new tracks for Wakhri, the new film by the wonderful Iram Parveen Bilal and they’re out now. They’re performed by the insane lineup of Meesha Shafi, Ali Sethi, Eva B, Natasha Noorani and RFB.”

The producer furthered on, “The world of Wakhri is in explosive, unapologetic technicolour and I had the time of my life living in it and creating its soundscape. These songs are a lot of fun and they tell an important story. And I really hope you feel the love we poured into them.”

Siddiqui went on to list tracks by the artists included on Wakhri’s album including Baaghi by Eva B, You Don’t Give a Haqq by Meesha Shafi, Matlabi (Wakhri version) by Natasha Noorani and Wakhri Dhamaal by Risham Faiz Bhutta and Ali Sethi.

Reacting to Siddiqui's post, director Iram expressed her enthusiasm in the replies, stating, “We are so honoured and I can’t wait to watch you soar even higher!” followed by a series of heart emojis.

Earlier in December, the film achieved a big milestone after celebrating a worldwide premiere at the Red Sea Film Fest in Jeddah. Based on Pakistan's slain social media sensation, Qandeel Baloch, Wakhri’s selection was easy given its craft. Discussing the film, the Film Fest Head of International Programming, Kaleem Aftab, shared, "Well, I don’t want to go out on a limb too much before they are shown, but I think people will be very struck by the new film by [Pakistani-US director] Iram Bilal, Wakhri: One of a Kind.”

Aftab added, "I feel like that is a film that talks about an incident that happened in Pakistan and is changing the narrative on that. I’m also happy to have Zarrar Kahn’s [non-conventional horror film] In Flames, also from Pakistan [it is Pakistan’s international Oscar contender], which changed the genre."

Have something to add to the story? Share it in the comments below.