No matter what conflict and ill-will exist between Pakistan and India, there is no ignoring the fact that there are more similarities than differences in the culture, customs, food, music and language of the two countries. Regardless of how politics of the time tries to colour the situation, music, poetry, art, cinema and other forms of creative expression always find ways to bridge the yawning chasm. Pasoori, a Pakistani Coke Studio song is an example. For some reason, it has resonated hugely with celebs this side of the border and gone viral.
The song is instantly captivating – the tune, musical arrangement and the visuals are outstanding. It is easy to see why it has become a hit even among people who don’t understand the lyrics. Plus this is a song from a theocratic country like Pakistan that is seen to include a woman dancer with a prominent bindi (while our secular nation outrages about a fashion shoot for its Urdu name and no visible bindis). This is interesting as well
The 70 year old dancer is also known for her previous activism during the oppressive Zia regime, when she wore a saree as a way to defy the theocratic regime.
The song has just burst on to the charts not only in Pakistan but in India, Bangladesh, and many other countries, the YouTube video now has well over 120M views.
The song has once again done what has happened so often in the past, underlined similarities rather than differences between two nations hostile to each other. It reminds us that while Pakistanis typically consume a steady diet of Bollywood films and music, Indians have loved Pak serials for decades now.
This is Pakistan’s longest-running TV music show since 2008 and has consistently created some brilliant music. It combines folk, Sufi, classical, bhangra, ghazal, rock, hip hop and other modern influences to create some amazing music; the sort of blending that we see in Pasoori as well.
Various Indian celebs such as Shehnaaz Gill, Shilpa Shetty, Rhea Chakraborty, Bhoomi Pednekar and even cricketers have posted videos of themselves grooving to the song on Instagram and other social media platforms.
The song is a huge hit and various other musical ensembles have come out with their own version of the song.
With YouTube and music apps such as Spotify, Apple Music etc. making music accessible to people all over the world, national boundaries and even prejudices have blurred. The fact that Pasoori has become the huge hit that it has in India is proof of this. The way that it has caught the attention of international content creators is further proof that music knows no boundaries – clichéd though it may sound.
This WWE edit of Pasoori is just outstanding. How do politicians deal with music and humour and just love? This beautiful song, the stunning visuals and the very many reactions and renditions – this will reach out to and connect peoples from all over. No matter how much they stress on our differences our innate humanity will always come to the fore.
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