Dreaming of the Crash: Manto’s soundtrack | Film

#Dreaming #Crash #Mantos #soundtrack #Film

It’s been a strong year for film music. You may or may not appreciate the movies but the soundtracks are a whole other story.

The soundtracks that have come out of the movies released this year belong to at least four different movies. Asadul Haque’s Dekh Magar Pyar Se soundtrack is contemporary and cool, mixed with original songs and reworked covers. Jami’s Moore soundtrack is soulful and reflective in places, fast and playful in equal measure and reflects the development of the band we know as Strings.

Ben Roy, though unsavory in places, also has at least two songs worth discussing including the brilliant ‘Moola’ feat. Abida Parveen and Zeb Bangash. Shiraz Appal and Noori’s combined tunes on Wajahat Rauf’s Karachi to Lahore result in a snappy, easy-listening record.

It’s safe to say that film music in Pakistan is going through an interesting, exciting phase right now and this could help shine a light on artists who don’t get much press and spotlight.

The latest album to join this exciting club is Sarmad Khost’s soundtrack to Minto. Produced by Jamal Rehman and Danish Khawaja, Manto’s film soundtrack includes four very beautiful songs. The songs are a combination of old-school dreamy magic, an experimental universe, and unholy, a rebellious landscape where dreams don’t die.

The amazing Ali Sethi makes two appearances in the album and continues to steal our hearts. His melancholic style and versatility are brilliantly showcased on this record. You can hear the emotional roller coaster and it’s enjoyable.

Meesha Shafi wins with ‘Muharram Dilan De Mahi’, a song that slows you down and immediately commands undivided attention while Javed Bashir is all smiles.

The understated and beautiful voice Zeb Bangash makes a solid appearance in the album with her ‘Kya Hoga’ (with Ali Sethi). It’s a song that plays with you with its tipsy soul and jazzy groove. Minto’s soundtrack hides an under-acknowledged story in the music world. But more on that later.

Track-by-track story Jamal Rahman tells the story behind four songs.

Song: ‘Ah Ko Chhaan’Singer: Ali SethiLyrics: Mirza Ghalib

“I have worked with Ali Sethi once before, when I produced his first track ‘Jalane Ki Baat’ two years ago. Based on that track, Sarmad (Khost, director) approached me. What was and what he produced For his film Minto, Sarmad gave us the freedom to experiment and create, with most of the synopsis dictated by the mood for each. All lyrics and wisdom (Khawaja, co-producer) and I built the original composition around them.

For Ghalib’s classic ‘Aah Ko Chawan’, we decidedly went for a minimal, stripped down arrangement. I sang Ali as softly and softly as possible, giving the vocals more intimacy and dynamics. The cello and sarangi were arranged and recorded at the very end of the initial progression and tied everything together. It was a very stressful time for me on a personal level and I think it came out on the track!”

Song: ‘What Will Happen’Singers: Ali Sethi and Zeb BangashLyrics: Muhammad Hanif

“I first worked with Zeb four years ago when I produced Zeb and Hania’s second album which unfortunately was never released due to lack of distribution and financial support. For this track we We felt that Zeb and Ali would compliment each other very well. Muhammad Hanif wrote the lyrics of this playful and catchy duo so that the music compliments the mood. Kudos to Jazz effect and was written for the Peshawar to Lahore sequence, we wanted to add to the music that was already there, so quirky whistles and guitar solos.”

Song: ‘Muharram Dilan De Mahi’Singer: Misha ShafiLyrics: Shiv Kumar Batalvi

“This was the first track written for the film and features a chilling meat sequence. The track was supposed to be dark and aggressive but also seductive in an upbeat way and Misha’s voice managed to evoke a range of drama. The ability made it the perfect choice. In Shiv Kumar Batalvi’s passionate songs we used a lot of experimental production techniques and ended up with pitched guitars, a small glockenspiel, and even cult-like backing vocals A cushioned stool with a brush (Babar Khanna, percussionist) was warming up on the stool, getting ready to record the snare when I walked in! Suddenly it was the right sound for the first bridge And that helped add a subtle element of suspense! The whole process was very organic and the track was born out of a free flow of ideas in terms of composition and production.”

Song: ‘Who is this cheeky’?Singer: Javed BashirSay: Majid Amjad

“Majid Amjad’s poem posed a challenge when adapted as a song lyric, which had no discernible rhythm in its structure. As we wrote it, we decided that the composition Let the music flow like a story told rather than using repetition in song form, giving the track a completely unorthodox structure that was aptly chosen to carry the weight of Javed Bashir’s powerful voice. A poem written for Minto In keeping with the spirit of the track, the track is deliberately made to be edgy.