The recent past has seen Bollywood valuing a number of Pakistani musicians; using their talent to add depth and melody to their filmi, often-commercialized soundtracks. Whether it is Atif Aslam, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan or Shiraz Uppal, our local stars have been shining bright on Indian charts in the absence of a thriving music scene in Pakistan. The latest, in a spate of such Pakistani artists to enter Bollywood, is none other than Sufi singer Saieen Zahoor.
BorderCrossing
The Sufi singer has lent his voice for Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s upcoming film, Mirzya.
Instep Desk
The recent past has seen Bollywood valuing a number of Pakistani musicians; using their talent to add depth and melody to their filmi, often-commercialized soundtracks. Whether it is Atif Aslam, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan or Shiraz Uppal, our local stars have been shining bright on Indian charts in the absence of a thriving music scene in Pakistan. The latest, in a spate of such Pakistani artists to enter Bollywood, is none other than Sufi singer Saieen Zahoor.
Saieen Zahoor, the gem of a singer who refused to record his voice until he was discovered and put on the global map by Coke Studio in 2006, can be heard in the background of the recently-released teaser of Mirzya. Zahoor, who previously lent his voice for Shoaib Mansoor’s Khuda Key Liye and British TV series West is West and swept us away with ‘Aik Alif’ and ‘Allah Hu’, is haunting yet soul-stirring in the little reflection we get of his vocals in the teaser.
Directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Mirzya is based on the legendary love saga of Mirza-Sahibaan, exploring the reason why Sahibaan killed her own lover Mirza.
“When I embarked on this journey I wasn’t the least concerned about how many times the story had been done. This was just something I needed to do,” Mehra said while speaking to Firstpost on making the film. “Usually classic love stories are based on the premise of societal opposition. In Mirza Sahibaan, 
the dynamics and complexities of the relationship are defined by the couple itself. That’s what made this love story so contemporary for me. There is unconditional surrender in this relationship, a kind of Sufi touch that fascinated me.”
The film that will mark the debut of Anil Kapoor’s son Harshvardhan Kapoor looks promising in its depiction and why not? Mehra is known for making films that challenge
societal norms (read: Rang De Basanti, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Delhi 6). The music for the film is composed by Shankar Ehsaan Loy and is written by Gulzar. We can’t wait to hear the magic that such great names, including Saieen Zahoor, have weaved
together.
