Sohail Haider, one of the most talented musicians of our country recently released his song ‘Mein hosh mein tha’, which is a tribute to (late) Mehdi Hassan’s original. Sohail Haider and his wife Dua Malik talk about their new music video (and music) in an exclusive interview with Pakistan Today.
When asked about his background in music, Sohail tells us that he has been learning classical singing since the age of 7, when he used to play and sing with a harmonium. “I got my initial training from Ustad Niaz Ahmed, he is my mentor and I owe him everything.”
Sohail’s wife Dua Malik, who is also the sister of Humaima Malik and Feroz Khan (who acts in the music video), is also the producer of the music video. “When he went to a mehfil for the first time, he sang in front of Sir Mehdi Hassan, and he himself said to him,”if there is anyone that I want to re-sing my ghazals, it’s you son.” He had sang ‘Ranjish’ at that mehfil.
Dua tells us that Feroz Khan and Sadaf Kanwal are the actors/models who are going to romance on screen for the first time. “Sadaf is a very dear friend, she has achieved much during her modelling for different lawn campaigns and this is the first time she will be in a music video alongside my very talented brother, Feroze.”
Dua adds,”Humaima and I have played quite a similar role in the making of the song, as we have handled the production. Gathering people and putting things together, you know how important that is. The idea behind the video was entirely ours,” she stressed.
“This ghazal is quite close to our hearts, because the lyrics are touchy and the feel is so sensual.”
Sohail Haider stated in a conversation with Pakistan Today that he thinks paying tribute to our legendary singers and artists is very important, to raise awareness amongst the youth of the history of our music and to make them familiar with our national treasure.
“This ensures that melodies are kept intact, and that they remain alive in our hearts for as long as we live. Why do you think Bollywood copies off our artists’ compositions? Why is Nusrat sahab still a legend internationally? We have few of the best musicians in the world and we should be proud of it,” he adds.
When asked what he believed about artists singing covers of old songs in hopes of promoting themselves and being at a lesser risk of failure, Sohail claims,”I don’t think this science works. Every singer cannot sing the most difficult songs, and if he cannot give the whole feel of the older version, then his song is a failure. I for one think that an original sung by a new artist is more likely to be a hit rather than re-vamping an old song, that business is more risky.”
Sohail Haider thinks that these compositions need to be spread more often than they already are.
“The whole ‘Malik’ family has put in alot of effort into the making of this music video, the song and everything associated to it. We have put in alot of brain work into this, and we really hope everyone enjoys the music and the video as much as we did,” Dua adds.
“The idea behind the video is that the man is chasing a girl who is playing him, and he is in love with someone who will not be serious about him. They are shown as elites, and we will leave the rest upto you,” states Dua, who is really enthusiastic about the outcome of ‘Mein Hosh mein Tha’.
“In the song, a grand piano, acoustic guitars and jazz drums have been used. Music designing has been done by Akeel, though I would like to add that the ‘feel’ of the song has been kept the same, only the use of different instruments is what has modernized it a little. We promise our listeners and viewers that they will not see any tampering with the original,” Sohail promises.
Sohail Haider started with PTV months after going through classical music training. He started composing and writing songs for others and other production houses. He has gotten various achievement awards over the years, mainly the Lux Style Award for his OST in tv serial ‘Dastaan’ and the Hum Tv Award for his OST in ‘Mere Qatil mere Dildaar’.
Original song by: Mehdi Hassan
Singer: Sohail Haider
Director: Rao Ayyaz
Stylist: Tabish Khoji
Hair and Makeup: Nabeela’s
Song Design: Aqeel
Production: Humaima Malik/Dua Malik
A link has been shared to Sohail Haider’s previous song, ‘Ranjish he Sahi’, which was also a tribute to (late) Mehdi Hassan.
Sohail Haider – Ranjish He Sahi (A tribute to… by nimrarashid90
To listen to sohail haider’s “main hosh mein tha” tribute to (late) Mehdi Hassan, click on the link below:
Sohail Haider – Main Hosh Mein Tha (Official… by Pakistanmusicmind
Waah Nice post
Comments are closed.