Meesha Shafi’s electrifying performance reminds you why she’s one of the best in the music business.
The mojo lost in episode five was reprised with episode six, where Meesha Shafi took the stage and ripped it; cinema was the theme for songs and two bands were let go off.
Our story, however, begins with Ahmed Ali Butt’s incarnation as Shaheed Murad (a play on Waheed Murad) that seemed more as if he had gotten his hands on an Elvis Presley outfit and was coming straight from a casino in Las Vegas. In comparison, his co-host Ayesha Omar shone brighter than ever even as he kept calling her Shabnam. There is a limit to OTT.
In fact, at one point, he introduced Fawad Khan akin to chocolate to which Fawad responded cheekily how (Ahmed) had never won an award because he over-acts. But in jest. Smart man.
Butt’s Shaheed Murad was momentarily removed from memory by one Meesha Shafi though. Joined by her band - which included Kashif, Farhan Ali, Sheheryar Khattak, Bilawal Lahooti and husband/guitarist Mahmood Rahman (whom she introduced quite sweetly), Meesha noted, prior to her performance, that her mission was to not strip the song of its essence but rather leave her own spin on it. And she did just that. Taking Madam Noor Jehan’s ‘Koi Sarda Aye Te Saray’, not only did she turn it into a modern-day anthem, she sent with it a very strong message against those who have questioned her credibility in the wake of allegations of harassment she made against one Ali Zafar in April.
She may have been asked to not speak about the legal case but with this delightful performance, Meesha has hit two birds with one stone. The addition of an illustration by Shehzil Malik as the backdrop made it much more special. And MS was in her element; though she didn’t intend to as a program judge, her opening performance set a benchmark no band could come close.
After the safe zone in the last episode, Bayaan took the stage to perform ‘Tha Yakeen’ (originally sung by Naheed Akhtar). Bayaan boys rose to the occasion in their own style with the vocalist playing a rubab which emerged as the surprise element. The judges were floored somewhat; Faisal Kapadia noted how the classical Mohammad Rafi moments worked within the song even as more rehearsal was needed. Bilal Maqsood noted how the band was evolving even as the groove needed work while Fawad appreciated it for what it was and Meesha too thought the parts and arrangement was good.
Xarb, moving up from the danger zone, had the curiosity of the judges piqued by their choice of Madam Noor Jehan’s enormous hit, ‘Jhanjhar Di Pawan Chankar’ and easily gave what was the strongest performance delivered by a band in this particular episode.
From the retro opening to singing a Punjabi classic layered with a groove-laden reinterpretation, it had winner written all over it and thankfully on the back of this performance, Xarb made it to the top two finalists list.
Meesha Shafi told the group that she felt compelled to stand up and dance and loved it and found it cohesive; Fawad Khan and Bilal Maqsood liked it but for very different reasons while Faisal Kapadia found it appealing just the same.
Tamaasha took Ahmed Rushdi’s classic ‘Tumhain Kesay Bata Doon’ but were so focused on showmanship that they ruined a classic so many of us have grown up listening to. As Faisal Kapadia rightly pointed out that though the showmanship did exist, the song got lost. Meesha felt that the theatricality did exist but after a while she lost interest. Bilal Maqsood thought the performance wasn’t edgy enough, even as the band killed it. Song choice, the judges reiterated, has to be well thought-of.
Back from the danger zone, 21 The Band performed ‘Kabhi Mein Sochta Hoon’ originally by Mehdi Hasan, and though they promised punk, 21 The Band, took the originally mellow track and managed to sound odd with the vocals sounding particularly weak. They maneuvered the original right off its essence, with or without realizing and it was not a pretty sight to see even as the showmanship did exist.
While 21 The Band were eliminated right off the bat as Xarb became the first finalist, Bayaan and Tamaasha went into the danger zone with both performing a song each. Bayaan went with Junoon’s ‘Azaadi’ and in doing so found themselves a spot as the second finalist, picking up a standing ovation from Bilal Maqsood and Meesha Shafi.
As for Tamaasha, they had to leave the show, may I add, a bit too late, since their shtick had been showmanship and not musical gravitas that moves you. A glimpse of it was palpable in their last performance of ‘Chief Saab’, an original by Sajjad Ali, who is hard to imitate, much less surpass.
Where Xarb and Bayaan go from here remains to be seen but given the bands featured in the top four, these were the ones who should’ve made the cut and now that they will win on the back of public voting, they must improve further.
