he last time Humayun Saeed appeared in a Hadiqa Kiani music video was more than a decade ago when she collaborated with the (late) Aamir Zaki for an unexpected song called ‘Iss Baar Milo,’ with the music video directed by Jami. Many years later, ‘Iss Baar Milo’ remains one of the best songs in Hadiqa and Aamir Zaki’s discography.

Humayun Saeed, who is now a major movie star and producer, has appeared in a new music video called ‘Baari Thaani’ with Hadiqa Kiani. While ‘Iss Baar Milo’ was one of the most experimental songs Hadiqa Kiani had ever done, both sonically and visually, ‘Baari Thaani’ follows the Sufi trajectory she has been on since releasing the critically acclaimed record, Wajd.

To be fair, it is the kind of music that is drenched in Sufi and traditional themes, reflecting ideas Hadiqa wanted to explore because, as she told me during Wajd years, she no longer wanted to make music that she felt was a young person’s game. Instead, she focused on music that appealed to her as an artist on a personal and professional level.

‘Baari Thaani’ shows she is staying true to her word. After dropping tracks such as ‘Jani Door Gaye’, ‘Unn Ki Taraf Say’, and ‘Kithe Nain’ in 2024, ‘Baari Thaani’ features opening verses, written by the singer herself and Prof. Rashid Hassan Rana, with the rest of the poetry and melody by Mian Sheheryar. The music video is directed by longtime collaborator Abdullah Harris.

The old adage “You can never judge a book by its cover” applies to the song. If you focus solely on the music video, it is an elaborate production that is a celebration of love. However, the song and the music video complement each other perfectly. Why? Well, because the musicians and instruments within the song create a carefully constructed love song, one that is worthy of our time. Thus, the music video makes sense. It is an ode to culture, from the clothing to the shots to the acting (and the sparks) between Hadiqa and Humayun. It doesn’t feel forced. Chemistry cannot be manufactured; it is either organic, or it isn’t. In ‘Baari Thani’, it is organic and it is one of the most exciting aspects of the visual presentation.

The song will also surprise you, revealing that Hadiqa is at the top of her game. The notes she hits, the mastery of language, the cadence between each word — all demonstrate an artist who is nowhere close to the end but has ascended to another level. Did we expect it? No. Are we delighted to witness it? Absolutely.

The video is full of colors. While themes of longing do appear, it is not for long because, let’s face it, longing is overrated.

In both the music video and the song, longing is not the central theme, and that’s what makes it such a triumph.

‘Baari Thaani’ exemplifies how artists evolve. If you watch the music video of ‘Iss Baar Milo’ and then watch ‘Baari Thani’, you will notice how much Hadiqa has evolved as a singer and songwriter, as well as how a delicate balance was struck between Jami’s direction in ‘Iss Baar Milo’ that keeps you guessing and Abdullah Harris’s direction of ‘Baari Thaani’ that is clearly a love story.