Ali Sethi in a BTS image from ‘Mahi Mera’
Ali Sethi collaborates with folk artist Jamaldin for the beautiful single ‘Mahi Mera’. Instep takes a look.
Classical trained singer Ali Sethi, it seems, can do no wrong. Every time you think Sethi’s delivered his best by knocking it out of the park (Manto anyone?) he returns with something even more poignant. His latest song, ‘Mahi Mera’ also falls in the same category. Melodic and beautiful, it instantly captures your heart.
‘Mahi Mera’s birth story is rather intriguing. The song’s lyrical poetry is designed around the notion of “Hijr-o-malal or yearning for one’s beloved” while the music video, directed by Umar Riaz captures the breathtaking beauty of Pakistan’s rural landscape in astonishing fashion. Foggy mornings, lazy afternoons, beautiful children – it’s the little things that make ‘Mahi Mera’ such a sweet and beautiful video. The visual narrative here stands out.
“I thought of Umar for the video because I wanted his eye – a curious but sympathetic eye. I wanted the video to enact the mood and temperament of the song without becoming sentimental or resorting to formulas of ‘rural landscaping’” said Sethi about his reasons for collaborating with Riaz, who has easily given Pakistan one of its best music videos to date.
Talking about the music video, director Umar Riaz noted: “For ‘Mahi Mera’, I didn’t want to have a glossy plot-based presentation of rural life. We wanted to get a real sense of the people and the place. I took a lot of cues from the music, from elemental aspects such as the dhol as a driving force and the classic sense of Punjabi exuberance intrinsic to the song; also a sense of searching for the ‘mahi’ and how this search can generate euphoria from melancholy. It serves as a neat metaphor for the role of music in that community which creates true joy out of what is mostly a poverty-stricken place. That idea guided my application of filming techniques to our subject matter.”
‘Mahi Mera’, the song features Sethi alongside folk artist Jamaldin who was discovered by Sethi when he heard him sing at a wedding at his maternal grandfather’s ancestral village. Attesting to the story, Sethi said in a statement: “I first heard Jamal at a wedding three years ago in Shergarh, my maternal grandfather’s ancestral village, and I responded immediately to the lehek and soz in his voice – he is a very charismatic singer and I knew I had to record Jamal in a studio and bring his music to a wider audience.”
Jimmy Khan, Atif Aslam, Jamaldin, Ali Sethi and Sara Haider at the launch event of Mahi Mera, in Lahore.
Sethi’s discovery of Jamaldin is one full of wonder as they both sing and complement each other. And like all his songs, ‘Mahi Mera’ too possesses a timeless quality.
It must be remembered that 2015 was a pretty special year for Sethi who made his Coke Studio debut and sung two intensely beautiful songs off the Manto soundtrack. And if his career trajectory is anything to go by, rest assured whatever he does next will be just as spectacular. And until then, keep yourself company with ‘Mahi Mera’ if you haven’t already; it is the song of a lifetime.
Music producer Saad Sultan, director Umar Riaz and Jamaldin speak during a panel discussion at the official premiere and screening of Mahi Mera in Lahore.