VIDEO: A sneak peek into Ali Zafar’s Peshawar tribute

Singer set to release the biggest-ever Pakistani music video tribute to APS victims

KARACHI:

It has been more than a month since the tragic attack on Army Public School in Peshawar, but local artistes have been steadfast in their efforts to restore the memory of the victims through tributes. Singer-actor Ali Zafar is the latest musician, who is set to release his song Urein Ge, paying homage to those who lost their lives in what is one of the most baleful attacks in recent Pakistani history. The song, which features a star-studded cast, is expected to release in the coming few days.

Speaking to The Express Tribune about the song, Ali said, “I didn’t want to be just going out and singing a song. I felt and thought that it was important to be sending out a message, which said that all of us, the entire nation, are together.” He referred to the song’s lyrics as ‘emotional’ and ‘personal’, adding, “Although the mood and are grave right now, I’ve always believed that it is important to hope and aspire for a better future and think positively.”



Of the video of Urein Ge, Ali shared that he tried to gather celebrities, regardless of whether they are singers, actors or cricketers, and unite them on a common platform. He lauded that every celebrity he invited to be a part of the video agreed to it without hesitation.  “I thought of calling people up and was so humbled and touched that everybody across the board was so kind,” he remarks.

Urein Ge features a host of stars, including singers Sajjad Ali, Haroon and Muhammad Ali Shehki, actors Sajid Hasan, Marina Khan and Bushra Ansari, Fawad Khan, Aamina Sheikh, Mohib Mirza, Sanam Saeed, Humayun Saeed and Imran Abbas, and cricketer Shoaib Malik.

Commenting on his experience starring in the video, Shoaib stated, “The music video is for a good cause and we all have to come forward and do this without thinking twice. That’s why all of us are here.” On a side note, Shoaib shared how lip-syncing for a video is no easy feat, especially if it’s being done for the first time. “If you’ve heard the song a few times then it becomes a little easier,” he said.



Asad Ahmed, who has played the guitar on the song, explained how Urein Ge went through a metamorphosis during its production process. “Initially Ali called me to just play the bass on it and was not going to have a lot of guitars on it. But when I got the track, I figured out that maybe this can be a huge song and that we should orchestrate it like that.” He added that what helps makes the song meaningful is its lyrics.



RELATED: Ali Zafar honours Peshawar school victims in star-studded video



The star-studded music video has been directed by Bilal Khan. He termed his experience working with an all-star cast as a ‘challenging’ one. “For me, it was a big challenge as I was directing people from different backgrounds, especially renowned performers, such as Sajid Hasan, Bushra Ansari and Anwar Maqsood.”



Ali said that the song was for “our children.” He concluded, “What is left for us is not as pleasant as we would have liked it to be but it is upon us to leave something for them [the children], which we wish could be for us.” The music video for the song will release on January 30.

Some of the celebrities featured in ‘Urein Ge’:

Sajjad Ali

Haroon

Muhammad Ali Shehki

Sajid Hasan

Marina Khan

Bushra Ansari

Fawad Khan

Aamina Sheikh

Mohib Mirza

Sanam Saeed

Humayun Saeed

Imran Abbas

Shoaib Malik

Fahad Mustafa

Hamza Ali Abbasi

Saba Qamar

Bilal Lashari

Sahira Kazmi

Behroze Sabzwari

Javed Sheikh

Anwar Maqsood

Ahsan Khan

Mahira Khan

Humaima Malick

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th,  2015.

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