 Music videos are instantly grabby. In fact, sometimes the video can engage the viewer so deeply that he just might forgive a horribly mediocre song. So it’s really not surprising that it is a music video that is being used as the vehicle to promote Baltistan. Throw in a tune by Shafqat Amanat Ali, and the whole package becomes very mature, and extremely elegant.
‘Yahaan’, a new song written and composed by Shafqat Amanat Ali (the idea for which was conceived by Zarminae Ansari), waxes lyrical about Baltistan. “Ek baar jo aye/ Dil yahaan reh jaye/ Jana chahe na phir/ Yahaan se”, the words that make up the chorus pretty much sum up the emotion behind the song, and are actually quite catchy. Which is not something you expect from Shafqat songs, as they usually are the kind that grow on you.
The video for ‘Yahaan’ is something that stays with you. Directed by Soheb Akhtar, it has all the elements that will encourage tourism in the area. The beauty of Baltistan has been captured in abundance and quite artfully. The images of people and places evoke a strong emotional response. For a video that is mainly promotional, ‘Yahaan’ escapes being commercial or trite. ‘Yahaan’ hasn’t gone unnoticed either. Thus far it has received over 14, 000 YouTube hits and tremendous comments. “Absolutely amazing!” enthuses one viewer. “Wish there were a few more shots of ‘Heaven on Earth’.”
“I am from Gilgit-Baltistan but I am living in USA,” says another commentator. “This song made me miss my hometown so badly I cannot wait to go back.”
While ‘Yahaan’ does induce a great desire to visit Baltistan, it also seems that this is an idea that can go far. I cannot really recall any tourism related videos or adverts from Pakistan in recent times and perhaps a project that encapsulates the entire country would be a good step to be taken from here. Any takers?
– Amina Baig
A word with the producer
Zarminae Ansari may be an architect with a background in marketing, and sure, ‘Yahaan’ is her first music video as a producer but she fell in love with the Shigar Valley and the old fort palace Shigar Fort Residence in Baltistan enough to inspire her first music video.
She wanted to promote the area, Baltistan/Gilgit and what better than a music video?
“We ourselves don’t know about these fabulous areas, so many of us. People in Lahore and Karachi don’t know.”
Zarminae approached singer Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan first. “I’ve known him for years, since my college days. I told him about this beautiful area, I also told him that it’s separated and it’s remote and it will be difficult. But he was gung-ho.”
Once Shafqat was onboard, it was time to find some funds.
“I approached Serena Hotels and they don’t really do advertising. However, they thought it was a great idea to promote the area. They liked my business proposal and agreed to find some funds. When people see the video, they can’t believe it but we did work on a shoe-string budget. They thought it was my passion that was the driving force and wanted me to stay involved and so I became the producer.”
For nine months, Zarminae was involved in every aspect of the video.
“From the lyrics - I didn’t write them, Shafqat did but we discussed it all - to the arrangements where a few things were changed around. And we added two traditional instruments.”
And certainly shooting up in the hills in Baltistan was not going to be easy.
“Our flight got cancelled and Soheb, Shafqat and I were going to drive back to Islamabad and stop in Gilgit while it was still daylight. Unfortunately there was a jam and a bus wouldn’t go off the road. It came to the point that Shafqat was pushing the bus with the rest of the people who had come out on the road. Anyway our driver was in a rush and he was driving in a frenzy and soon the car got jolted. We got out of the car once it stopped and one wheel had gotten off. We fixed it eventually but all of us were pretty shaken.”
- Maheen Sabeeh |
