We have known from the beginning that director Kamal Khan and producers Nehr Ghar Films have concocted an interesting crime thriller – Laal Kabootar – that is set in and on Karachi with two protagonists, played by Ahmed Ali Akbar and Mansha Pasha.
It is palpable, not just from the trailer but from the teaser artwork designed by the very talented Shehzil Malik to the main poster designed by Abdullah Harris films to roping in Taha Malik for the OST and Danial Hyatt for the background score and Mo Azmi as Director of Photography. Call it cinema’s dream team, as Pakistan learns to develop genre-based films.
To that end, the first song from Laal Kabootar (that is scheduled to release on March 22nd) has been released and is called ‘Jug(art)’. It has been composed and produced by Taha Malik, who also features on the song as vocalist alongside singer Jabar Abbas - with the latter best known for appearing on Coke Studio.
An EDM-inspired tune, it has been been penned by Sabir Zafar, Salman Khattak and Taha Malik.
Alongside the single, a two-minute music video has also been unveiled that showcases the journey of Ahmed Ali Akbar’s character’s hustling ways.
The song – not only fits Abbas’ voice as a playback singer – but the video is, in a way, a brief look inside the film where Karachi emerges as its own character. Ahmed Ali plays Adeel Nawaz in the film and his struggle is much clearer in the music video. Since the song is only two-minutes long, Malik’s entrance as rapper appears quickly and it’s surprisingly how good he sounds as he raps about the struggles of the character and raps at one point, ‘bus note banalay’ and it’s a snapshot of both the film and what young filmmakers can do. Taha Malik should take a bow as should Mo Azmi and Kamal Khan. The song is a reminder that Taha Malik can rap in Urdu and he can do it very well. The season of rap isn’t going anywhere, with Gully Boy picking up steam and the presence of local boys L.U.G., Adil Omar, Abid Brohi and many more.
