KARACHI: Goher Mumtaz, vocalist for Pakistani band Jal believes that the band can still do well without depending on Bollywood, provided that it continues to deliver good music.
The journey of Jal has surely seen more highs and lows than any other band in the history of Pakistani music. After the initial success of Aadat, the band had to deal with the departure of Atif Aslam. This caused the band to re-launch with Boondh, clambering back up to the top Chaltay Chaltay starring Amrita Rao. Jal faced another setback with the departure of the second lead singer Farhan Saeed parting his ways in 2011, followed by the departure of Aamir Sheraz in 2013.
Despite these setbacks, Goher believes that if the band continues to deliver good music, it will remain successful. In an interview with The Express Tribune, Goher said, "I have never been dependent on Bollywood unlike other Pakistani musicians. Jal has proven time and again that if you do good music even if it’s native to Pakistan, it will be loved by fans across the globe."
He added, "We proved this with Sajni which was a chart-topper not only in Pakistan but also in India."
Cover of Jal's album Boondh
The vocalist sees no future for himself in Bollywood, "Bollywood music has shifted towards item numbers and I really don’t think I can make them. It’s not my kind of music," he commented.
Gohar attributed the success of the band to the quality of its music, not the names involved. "Over the years I have proven it’s not the lead singers who have made this band, it’s our music and with time its only gotten better."
The singer is hopeful that Jal can be revived despite member turnover, "It was hard to rebuild Jal after Atif left but we did it. And it was not any different after Farhan’s departure."
He insists that his acting commitments have nothing to do with Jal's low profile over the past few years. "It’s not that we were technically on a break or my acting projects had gotten in way of music-making. I only do one drama serial in a year. Music is my first love," Goher said.
"Jal was doing concerts regularly in India and Pakistan but we slowed down the making music owing to the instability in the country. However, we now plan to regularly release new music," he added.
Screengrab of OST of Goher Mumtaz's drama Tanhai
He mentioned that there were currently no plans to replace Farhan Saeed as the lead singer. Instead, Goher planned to take the band ahead on his own.
Talking about forthcoming ventures Gohar told The Express Tribune that they are planning on releasing another music video later in May, which may again be directed by Azan Sami Khan. However nothing has been finalized in this regard.
Jal recently performed at Orerry Pakistan at the launch ceremony of their comeback video, Tere Bajoun, after a hiatus of two years. The event was attended by several local celebrities including Zoe Viccaji, Komal Rizvi, Sarwat Gillani, Anushay Ashraf and Zhalay Sarhadi.
Jal performing at Orrery Pakistan
Directed by the young and talented Azaan Sami Khan, the video revolves around infatuation as a die-hard fan waits for his beloved actress to give him some attention. The video performance was then followed by a concert, in which Goher treated his fans to several Jal favorites.
Still from Tere Bajoun
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