“The
barriers are not erected which can say to aspiring talents and industry-Thus
far and no farther."
-Ludwig
Van Beethoven
Beginnings
Most of us know the story of
Shafqat’s entry into Bollywood- it is as filmy as it gets. Imagine a top
Bollywood music director driving in his car through a busy Bombay road. The car
radio starts playing “Ankhon ke Saagar” and he is mesmerized. He calls up the
radio jockey to find out who sang it. He then tracks the voice down to Pakistan
and soon offers him a chance to sing for their next venture. Mitwa happens and
Bollywood gets a new singing sensation… Someone could actually make a film out
of this fairytale like success story!
It’s been over six years since
Mitwa released and that’s how long Shafqat has been with Bollywood- well,
officially it’s been longer because 2 songs of his album Saagar were used by
Nagesh Kukunoor for his Hyderabad blues. His latest song in Bollywood is for Anurag Basu's Barfi.
So what’s Shafqat’s story in
Bollywood, so far? He has been pretty choosy in the work that he has done and
has worked with only a handful of music directors. How well have they used his
amazing voice? Has he realized his potential with what he has done so far or is
his best for Hindi movies, yet to come? The questions require a looking back at
all that he has sung so far…
Soulful with SEL
SAA: “Whenever there is a combination or fusion of talented musicians,
it produces beautiful music. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy has proven that time and again.”
The trio of Shankar-Ehsaan- Loy, who
initiated him into Bollywood, has given 3 of the best songs of Shafqat’s
Bollywood career.
1. Mitwa (Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna- 2006)
What can one say about Mitwa? A
landmark song not just for SEL or Shafqat but for Bollywood music itself- it
still has music lovers swaying to it, half a decade later. Powerful lyrics by
Javed Akhtar, but it is Shafqat’s voice that towers tall over the music, the
words, and the performance on screen. This will always be a special one for all
of his fans.
2. Tere Naina (My name is Khan – 2009) Expectations for a follow up
to Mitwa were huge and the SEL- SAA combo delivered yet again- A beautiful
number which talks of love in a way that is not too well known in Bollywood. It
praises the eyes of a lover, but doesn’t talk of drowning in their intoxication
like most numbers do. It’s more pure and divine- and only a voice like his
could do justice to it.
A song that leaves me speechless…
I think we can all relate to this because there are times in each of our lives
when we have looked up to the skies and asked-Why? And when Shafqat talks to
God, I think, He listens! So when you listen to him singing you start feeling
closer to God.
This completed the hattrick for
this singer – music director combination. I just hope this won’t end here and
they will go on to complete a century
Shankar Mahadevan- “Shafqat is an amazing singer and a more amazing
person”
~~~~
Splendid Melodies with Salim –Sulaiman
SAA: “.. today composers like,
Salim-Sulaiman .. have taken film music to another level and I can see it
progressing only.”
Salim-Sulaiman's partnership with Shafqat has given us some very memorable
melodies, indeed
1. Ye Hausla (Dor- 2008) - The ultimate song for when you are feeling
low-it could pull you from the deepest recesses and get you to start all over
again. Best work of the Merchant brothers till date. And definitely one of
Shafqat’s best in Bollywood
2. Shukriya Zindagi (Aashayein -2011) - Another Nagesh Kukunoor film,
which got a delayed release- So this was probably the second time that Shafqat sang for the musical duo. A melodious song with wonderful lyrics- again very
relatable and with a universal appeal
3.
Chaayi hai Tanhayi (Love break up Zindagi- 2011) - The composers
experimented a bit with the arrangement in this one and gave it a Qawaali feel
that works very well. And Shafqat, as usual, is on the top with his in-control and
powerful vocals!
4. Darmiyaan (Jodi Breakers- 2012) - A haunting number which strikes
an instant chord. Beautiful lyrics, rendered skillfully by the maestro!
“Rockstar Ustad” was a term
coined by Salim Merchant and is now frequently used as introduction to Shafqat
~~~~
Passion flows - Pritam Chakraborty
SAA: “Pritam loves fusion. His
music is still rooted strongly in tradition but he gives it a modern spin.”
1. Tum Mile Rock Version- (Tum Mile- 2009) – “Tu hi hai meri saari
zameen”, sings an out of world voice, and your heart stops for a second in
anticipation of what will come next. And at the cost of sounding biased, this
version out of the total three sung for this song is way, way above the other
two!
2. Jaane Kyun (Always Kabhi Kabhi- 2011) - It is called the Sufi
version, but it’s more appropriate to call it the softer version. Shafqat’s
third one with Dharma Production carries an appeal not just for the youthful
target audience of the movie, but for all romantics of all ages.
3. Poore se zara se Kum- Band Mix (Mausam, 2011) - This version sung by Shafqat was not used on screen and Ustad Rashid Khan's is the better known. (Thank you, Ehtisham Amir for directing me to this gem)
4.. Tu hi Mera (Jannat 2 -2012) - Shafqat breaks from his pensive, Sufi
mode in this one and gives a spirited love song. Pritam stepped a little beyond
the comfort zone that all composers felt with Shafqat till date and gave him
room to showcase his versatility. I read somewhere that Shafqat had a bad
throat while recording this one- I can imagine some singers having nightmares
when they get to know of this.
5.
Phir le Aaya Dil - Redux (Barfi- 2012) - Feel really proud to see Shafqat's name in the credits of this wonderful album. This song is my favorite from the list of some really high quality numbers that the album offers. Pritam's best probably and definitely the album of the year so far. The song deserved to be sung thrice over- each version is great, but Shafqat's stays on with me
With these 5 wonderful tracks Pritam becomes the composer that Shafqat has done most work with , in Bollywood!
~~~~
Vibrant Notes by Vishal-Shekhar
SAA on his rapport with Vishal
and Shekhar: “It was friendship at first sight.”
1. Bin tere (IHLS- 2010) – O boy! What do I say about this song? It is just perfect. Vishal of the Vishal –
Shekhar duo wrote the lyrics for this one and I am a fan of the words he pens (He
has also written Allah ke bandey and Aankho mein teri ajab si, by the way) and there
couldn’t have been a better choice of a singer to convey the pain of
separation, that is the song. I prefer the male part over the female one – ok I
AM biased!
2. Dildara- (Ra One 2011)- What happens when Ben E King meets
Shafqat? Magic! Additional vocals by
Vishal, Shekhar and Clinton Cerejo make it even more wonderful!
Only nominations that Shafqat has
received for cine awards in Bollywood have been for these two songs
~~~~
Stellar tunes- Sajid-Wajid
SAA: “They are friends first and then co-workers”
1.Tishna Tishna (Zindagi tere
naam- 2008) – Probably the closest Shafqat comes to singing regular
Bollywood fare. A song set up in fast tempo that he sings along with Sunidhi
Chauhan. Will rank lower when we look at his other work but still among the
better ones from Bollywood
2. Carvaan ( Hello -2009) – A beautiful composition. The song gives
you a feeling of the journey of life, for which, no one can predict the outcome.
A song in the same league as his Kyun
main Jagoon, but lesser heard.
The song Caravaan never got used
in the film Hello!
~~~~
Et al
- Tere Bin for Sajid and Afsar in Love possible (2012) doesn’t really
stand out, but it is a sweet song which you won’t mind listening to every now
and then.
- Ya Maula for Maximum (2012) composed
by Vikram Sawan brings to fore the Sufi side of Shafqat beautifully again- the
sounds of the waves in the background is beautiful.
- Zindagi se for Raaz 3 (2012)
composed by Jeet Ganguly-The music of Raaz 3 has received somewhat mixed
reviews- probably because the expectations were very high for the album
considering it comes from a production house whose success largely rides on its
music. But still Shafqat’s song is one of the two that stand out in an album
which is otherwise pretty mundane.
And, next…
It’s a pity that in an industry that churns out hundreds and
thousands of songs every year, the singer of Shafqat’s stature has sung only a
handful of songs. Why, I wonder? Is it because he is picky? Is it because his
immense talent doesn’t fit into the quick –success formula in this age of item
numbers? Is it because he is based
across the border? Questions that best can be answered by him or the composers
in the industry. But I do hope that he will get a chance in the future to
showcase his talent with more composers, and the ones who have already worked
with him, will challenge him with something even more exciting and fulfilling.
As a fan, I
do lament the fact that he has done very select work in Bollywood but am also proud that he has more or less
always met the expectations and maintained a standard in singing that is worthy
of his family name. His trademark aalaaps are a stamp of his ownership on songs
of the Bollywood composers that he made his own. Each time you listen to him
singing you are delighted to discover delightful nuances that you had missed
before, and that’s what gives his songs such a long shelf life, unlike your
other average Bollywood numbers.
Shafqat has always maintained that
he prefers to sing his own compositions, but also admits that Bollywood has
provided him a wider reach to his listeners. Maybe someday he will write and
compose for a Hindi film. I hope Bollywood is paying heed!
