Hassan Jahangir: ‘Hawa Hawa’ hitmaker makes a comeback

Pop singer Hassan Jahangir comes out with his new single ‘Dol Dol’.

KARACHI:

The year 2011 seems to be a comeback year for our good old PTV pop stars: Mohsin Raza Khan, popularly known as Bunny, is all set to return with Roxen, Mohammed Ali Shyhaki has revamped the popular song “Tere Ishq Main”, Alamgir has done a fresh version of “Keh Dena” and now it’s time to welcome (back) Hassan Jahangir. The man, who gave one of the most celebrated pop songs in the history of Pakistani music “Hawa Hawa” is back with a fresh Bengali number “Dol Dol”.

“[The song] was in the pipeline for a long time. I’d been thinking about new music for a while and ‘Dol Dol’ is a result of that,” says the pop legend while adding that he has also been performing gigs every now and then.  With ‘Dol Dol’, Jahangir has given a fresh and contemporary touch to the kind of music he was earlier known for.

Jahangir was one of the pioneers of pop music who created a niche for himself with his overwhelming live performances at concerts, private parties and wedding functions.  “I emerged at a time when legends like OP Nayyar used to sings classical songs on PTV. But I brought with myself an entirely new style of performance,” recalls Jahangir.

Apart from his aura and live performances, Jahangir stood out for his song lyrics. Comprising of intense lyrics, his songs were witty and hilarious at the same time and that is the reason why the singer had a widespread appeal, cutting across generations instead of catering to teenagers only.

“I plan to do the same again,” adds Jahangir.” My songs have always had a very strong message and a great example of that is “Shadi Na Karna Yaro”. It was not just a pun on married people but it also carried an important message that, ‘If you can’t afford to feed a family, then why get married’.”

Message in a song

However, this time around, Jahangir — also credited with bringing ‘minglish’ lyrics to Pakistani pop music — plans to remodel the term ‘bhai’ in another upcoming song the title of which he hasn’t decided yet. Ruing the fact that the term ‘bhai’, which essentially comes out of brotherhood, is used negatively these days, Jahangir is bent upon changing this perception.

“Bhai — which is usually used in conjunction with the phrase Bhai Log — has become a derogatory term. When the word ‘bhai’ is used, people associate it with gangsters; however, my new song will rebut this notion. The song goes like, ‘Na larna hai na marna hai, pyar mohabbat karna hai, jo bhi hon halaat, hamesha dum chahat ka bharna hai, kis ne bola? bhai nae bola,” says Jahangir, sounding excited about his upcoming track.

Future plans

In 2009, it was reported on several websites that Jahangir’s song “Hawa Hawa” will feature in a Bollywood film that will also mark the comeback of the well known actor Raveena Tandon. However, that project was put on hold. “That project had stopped for some time but things are back on track now. Apart from that, I’ll be leaving for India to sing for an upcoming Bollywood film very soon,” adds the pop star. Additionally, a lot of new music is lined up for the singer as he prepares himself for a tour to Bangladesh in the coming week.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 21^st, 2011.