Talaash – A Search For Peace
The three nations of the Indian subcontinent have historically had some tensions, to say the least, but it is always admirable to see artists cross those borders and make a single distinguished project. That was exactly what came out of a conversation between Pakistani musician Junaid Khan, a singer on the band Call, and Indian musician Abhinandan Mukherjee, the drummer on the band Spunk.
Explaining his thought process on undertaking the project, Junaid Khan told Gloss that, “Spunk got in touch with me and we brainstormed on a few ideas. They had a track laid down which I loved. It was without a melody or vocals, so I devised the melody and Spunk and I worked on the lyrics. That’s how we co-produced the track. The instrumental part was recorded on their end and vocals were recorded on my end in Pakistan.”
Talaash was the single born out of this collaboration, whose music video was produced by the Bengali studio Glitch, with Tahmim Habib Dipro on screenwriting and directing duties. The song was recorded in Nepal, and the video was shot in Kathmandu.
“Our purpose was to work on different ideas. Every artist wants to exchange creative energy for collective growth,” said Junaid, “The subcontinent has so many similarities; our language, looks, food is similar but we are apart because of politics. Artists don’t have agendas except to spread positivity. The name of the song, Talaash, represents our sentiments: we are looking for peace.”
The shoot for the video proved to be more challenging than expected due to nonstop rain, forcing the team to shoot indoors. No challenge was too great for this group of artists, though, as they’d been getting along so well that everyone recalls the process as more of an adventure than an everyday music video shoot.
The Glitch crew felt similarly, saying that the project was no mean feat and that it was something for everyone to be proud of, both in and of itself and the way it demonstrates music’s ability to transcend national and cultural divides.
Since Junaid Khan emphasised on original music, we asked if covers and remixes are jeopardizing the music industry, to which he replied, “Original music takes time to pick up and there is always risk involved there. Since covers and remixes are easier to make and involve songs that are already famous, it is easy to gather attention through them. People are more likely to give it a listen, particularly those who are fans of the original. However, it is a big responsibility to perform a cover, if you don’t match the value of the original, it can backfire pretty badly.”
Artists don’t have agendas except to spread positivity.
“Spunk and I believe in more original music for the sake of this art form. Reinventing old music is one segment but a major percentage comes out when you express in your own way, in your own language it has to be different unique and new,” Junaid further added.
Junaid Khan later expressed enthusiasm about possibly touring with Mukherjee and the band, using their platform as musicians to Pakistan and India ever closer and contributing to peace between the two nations. Whether or not that comes to pass, the team will certainly enjoy making the effort.
