Haroon explores faith and spirituality in Ghoom
Shahzeb Shaikh
Karachi
One rather remarkable thing about Haroon is his knack of coming out with thought-provoking and inspirational videos. The last one being, Go Saabjee Go, earlier this year, which was a satire on apathetic politicians who don’t care about peoples suffering. In addition to its pertinent concept, the new video Ghoom is noteworthy in the sense that this heralds the anticipated launch of his fourth album release slated to be released in the nea
r future.
The video targets the never-ending clash amongst people of different religions. Religion, which is an omen of peace and prosperity for people of every faith has often been misinterpreted and hence has been the cause of so many conflicts. The eminent need of inter-faith dialogue is indispensable in todays world. The video starts off with a screen stating, People of all faiths are searching for God and peace. Since the song is of a Sufi nature, the video of the track had to be in-line with such a theme. Talking exclusively to Instep Today, Haroon defines the concept of the video, I directed this video myself. When I started brainstorming one of the ideas that came to mind due to the Sufi nature of my song and my song lyrics (which implores for God to come) was the famous quote by Rumi:
I searched for God among the Christians and on the Cross and therein I found Him not.
I went into the ancient temples of idolatry; no trace of Him was there.
I entered the mountain cave of Hira and then went very far but God I found not.
Then I directed my search to the Kaaba, the resort of old and young; God was not there.
Finally, I looked into my own heart and there I saw Him; He was nowhere else.
So to an extent you can see this in the video. I filmed at mosques and cathedrals and temples and shrines including a beautiful Sikh Gurdwara, Londons famous St. Pauls Cathedral and the breathtaking Baadshahi Masjid among other locations.
So how confident was he that he chose to effectively portray a topic which has been quite controversial in the recent times? Haroon replied confidently, Its all very simple. I wanted to share a larger message of my own with the viewers. I wanted to show visually that people of all faiths are searching for God and peace. Many a times people of religion are too inward and fail to realize that people of all faith have the same desires. In this world where people are killing each other in the name of religion I think it is important to highlight this point. The ultimate goal of every major world religion is the same. Those fundamentals are to be a good human being, worship God, and to live in peace and harmony.
If one sees the video, one realizes that it has been shot in high-speed locations for example in the tube (UK). These shots require technical expertise and a creative mind. So how did he manage all that? A massive creative team? Visually, I imagined the camera travelling at high speed across a location in a very ethereal manner. This required some interesting filming and post techniques. I wanted to play with time and speed. So all my singing shots were shot in slow motion. I calculated the speed the audio needed to be to sync up with the high speed frame rate to achieve lip sync in slow motion. Then I experimented to see if this would work. I didn’t want to go out and shoot the whole video and then later find out I had miscalculated things. So I pulled out my camera and video editing software and tried it out. I still have a funny clip of me jumping around in my pajamas singing in slow motion at my brothers home in London (laughs), He said and continued, The slow motion singing was interspersed with very fast motion shots and time lapse to create another worldly feel. I also wanted the various sequences to transition smoothly together. So when I would shoot a sequence in one location in England I had to film a transition sequence so that it would sync up and smoothly transition into a shot in Pakistan. I was very lucky to be able to work with very cooperative camera-men and a talented and dedicated editor. Several people I had initially approached to work on this video with me declined due to the complicated nature of the shoot and edit.
Videos have been an important marketing tool for artists in a stagnant music market at present. About the importance of videos, Haroon says, I think music videos are still very important. You can convey a lot in a three minute video. These days television is so cluttered that music videos sometimes get lost. However the internet has really picked up as a medium of getting your songs and videos directly to your audience. If it is a good idea or concept the video can go viral without any need for extra marketing at all.
And the patriot in Haroon has decided to donate all the proceeds of the video and song to the flood relief victims. Also, he has joined the Superstar Relief Fund, a social organization which aims to work for the uplift of flood affectees. Artists like Strings are also a part of it.
Musically, the track is a signature Haroon number. It’s energetic, inspirational and brings out the best in Haroon’s vocals.
The video is also an evidence of Haroon directional abilities. Here’s hoping that the masses understand the strong message the video conveys and eradicate any misunderstandings amongst them for a better, more peaceful world.
Source : Instep Today
