Singer and actor Junaid Khan speaks to Instep about the joint initiative between Call (the band) and WWF Pakistan, and the reason why they’re committed to releasing patriotic songs these days.
After releasing their patriotic song ‘Pakistan Zindabad’, Call the band, featuring Zulfiqar Jabbar Khan, M. Sultan Raja and Junaid Khan, have released their latest music video ‘Rung Do’ in collaboration with World Wildlife Fund Pakistan (WWF).
For the music video the band joined forces with 50 videographers, not only to capture the essence of the people of Pakistan but to work towards a greener Pakistan and plant trees. They are aware that the country is facing grave problems such as water crisis and climate change, etc.
Both ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ and ‘Rung Do’ came out on March 23 and August 14, respectively.
To learn more about this patriotic zeal that has been driving the band’s music off late and why they have been selecting national days to drop their songs, Instep got in touch with lead vocalist of Call, Junaid Khan.
“I think expressing your emotions, that too, on a special day has more impact on the people and they will understand and relate to the message better,” began Junaid. “All an artist wants is to be heard and appreciated and it is through his work that he can put through the message to his audience.”
“If we talk about ’Pakistan Zindabad’, it’s a patriotic song. After we recorded it we realised that Pakistan Day is coming so why not release it on a day when the entire nation comes together as one. We wanted to be heard, we wanted our love for the country to be heard and hence it was released on March 23,” he added.
As for releasing ‘Rung Do’ on Pakistan’s Independence Day that falls on August 14, Junaid shared that the song is in pursuit of hope, positivity and finding your own identity. “It is about doing something that can bring about a change. As a band we thought that there is nothing better than making Pakistan green by planting indigenous trees that generally require less water and fertilizer. So, the main purpose of coming out with songs on such days is because we want our message to be heard; a message that can make the world a better place to live in.”
He further went on to say that both ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ chant and ‘Rung Do’ came purely from the heart. There are some songs that are brand influenced and sponsored but most of the songs – say 90 per cent of them - are a musician’s own expression, which cannot be fabricated.
“‘Rung Do’ was actually written more than 10 years ago and at that point we were going through the emotion (that as artists and citizens of Pakistan), we have a responsibility to give back to the community.”
According to Junaid, when WWF approached the band for joining hands for this special cause, they were more than happy to be a part of something that can help tackle environmental issues and the message of ‘Rung Do’ is completely in sync with this concept.
When asked whether patriotic/national songs are all about creating a positive image of Pakistan, the singer said, “An artist is a goodwill ambassador for the country and it is the artist’s responsibility to portray a positive image of the country. Negative things are happening all around the world and the idea is to rise above all of it and work towards betterment. Everything is accessible online, so whatever you create reaches the international audience as well. Patriotic songs are a way to tell the world that we are united.”
When asked that we have iconic modern, patriotic songs such as ‘Dil Dil Pakistan’, ‘Maula’, ‘Jazba Junoon’ and ‘Hai Koi Hum Jaisa’ and whether we need more patriotic songs, Junaid responded, “Why not? There is no limit to it. To inculcate patriotism in the younger generation, there should be patriotic songs to inspire them. It should carry a message that they can relate to. Since Pakistan’s inception there have been national songs and they are evolving with time; I think there should be more such songs.”
Talking about the response to ‘Rung Do’, the singer said that is has been absolutely phenomenal so far. Since the music video was released, they have been getting numerous pictures of tree plantation every day. In fact, the live map on their website is almost full now as more than 23,000 plants have been planted till date.
Junaid also served as a Careem captain on Tuesday (August 29) as a part of this initiative. “Being a Careem captain for a day was an amazing experience. I took four to five rides and it felt great to inspire people to do something constructive for the country.”
Junaid also requested everyone to select ‘Rung Do’ car type while booking a Careem ride (which is valid till September 14) as the proceedings of all the rides will go to WWF Pakistan. “I’m really glad that we are a part of this project and that people are supporting us,” he concluded.
