Duhrao by Auj, a music video that lacks originality
BY ALI NAQVI –
Gone are the days when it was possible to borrow ideas without being caught. The ploy worked until the late 1990s when only a handful of people had access to or exposure of international art, literature, film, music and culture. Today, even the idea of the global village is stepping down to give way to the concept of one large global family. The connectivity is not just between people, the machines and devices are also interconnected. Duhrao by Auj is an original song but the video is a copycat of a number of Hollywood films.
The video starts with some over romantic dialogues between a romantically involved couple. The cheesy start of the video sets the mind to anticipate a pure love song with the undertones of filmy romanticism. The song turns out to be a standard soft rock melody that does not do justice to the lyrics that attempt to create the aura of poetic romance.
After taking a Bollywood style Ashqi 2 inspired start, the video takes a complete U-Turn. The first few sequences remind us of a number of English films namely Huge Jackman’s ‘The Greatest Showman’. Then midway through one cannot help but notice the similarities to another Hollywood movie ‘Water for Elephants’ starring Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson.
In the defense of this video the creators might say that they have just taken the inspiration. Mostly we use the word inspiration without being mindful of its true meaning and value. Inspiration works like a trigger in conceiving new thoughts rather than being analogous to the original one. Inspiration opens up new possibilities that create ideas which may have roots but no visible traces on the surface.
Musically speaking, Duhrao by Auj is an ordinary track. Abdur Rahman is fine with his vocals as usual and the band sounds balanced and in harmony but we don’t find the magic of Auj’s Raat. Sponsored by Pepsi Duhrao is the first official song by Auj after winning Pepsi Battle of the Bands. The expectations were high but the song doesn’t ring the bell. Duhrao by Auj will go down as an average track with a below average video.
Creating fresh music is becoming a greater challenge for musicians in Pakistan. After the demise of pop music culture in Pakistan original music has become a rare entertainment. Coke Studio is also struggling to produce quality music. In such a scenario sound tracks of TV dramas are getting popular and the title track of Meray Pass Tum Ho is the latest example. Auj needs to do what it does best, fuse eastern semi-classical with rock and roll to create a space it deserve on the music horizon of Pakistan.
