Kaisa Diya? Saeen releases new track

Ali Gul Pir’s new song is a pun on the work ethics of the Pakistani entertainment industry

KARACHI:

Fans of Ali Gul Pir were treated to a surprise as the musician released his latest single on New Year’s Eve. The song marks the comedian-turned-musician’s first major release in over a year, with his last single being the politically-charged track VIP, which was released right before the 2013 elections.

Like Pir’s previous tracks which were a commentary upon the many prevalent problems within our society, his latest song Kaisa Diya focuses on Pakistan’s entertainment industry.

“I have learnt a lot about the industry ever since going from an average Joe to getting a lot of attention,” Pir told The Express Tribune. He narrated various incidents which exposed him to different kinds of people present within the industry. “I once got a call from an event organiser telling me that he was the man behind the success of Pakistani bands, Strings and Noori. He told me he would make me a big star but later on I found out that he was actually someone posing as a hotshot.”



What was even more surprising to Pir was the idiosyncratic thought process of people who had gone to various extents and had termed him an “Illuminati and Punjabi-funded agent” for defaming the Pakistanis and Sindhis.

If that wasn’t bad enough he also described how being in the spotlight had resulted in an inbox full of potential rishtas. “I was getting all of these proposals via e-mail from people like Princess Joanna,” exclaimed the musician.

Many people tried to outmuscle him in the Pakistani media circles and a mix of such serious and hilarious incidents lead him to ask, Kaisa Diya?

Kaisa Diya explores three facets of the Pakistani entertainment industry. “It is basically about a seasonal TV show hosts, the casting couch in our industry and, above all, the India fever that our artistes suffer from,” remarked the Waderai Ka Beta hit-maker.



By seasonal talk show hosts, the artist meant how renowned religious personalities and talk show hosts try to take advantage of the religious month and become a part of live transmissions.

Pir, who last featured on the song Kitni Chikni by Mooroo, had received a lot of criticism for the song due to the “profanity” of its lyrics and choice of subject. The singer clarified this by stating, “The last track was basically about people who grow up to become pretty and handsome individuals despite being average looking in their early years. I always tell people not to think too much about my songs as they are meant to be funny,” exclaimed Pir.

Although his latest venture is a little different from his previous releases, Pir is hopeful that with Kaisa Diya he would continue the tradition of releasing catchy music with engaging videos.

“Unlike my previous videos, where there is a single story being shown on screen, Kaisa Diya will contain three separate stories and I would be playing three characters in it,” he says. The video has been directed by Mooroo and shot and edited by Hamad Khan.

Pir spoke about being possibly criticised over the timing of his song’s release given the tragic incident that took place in Peshawar last week. However , the comedian says he simply wishes to spread joy at a time when it seems impossible to achieve.

“I completely understand what happened in Peshawar was really sad and I can personally relate to what the families are going through because I, too, lost a friend to a terrorist attack in Islamabad. But I refuse to let these people terrorise me and as they say ‘The show must go on’.”

Published in The Express Tribune, December 23^rd, 2014.

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