So, another week goes by of Pakistan Idol & glad we got to see some amazing performances this time around as well. The episode was based on the tribute by the contestants to their music idols. I thought the song selection this week was spot on & every one picked a song that suited their vocal tones. The guest judge was Rahim Shah but I don’t think he gave away much as a judge himself.
Before saying anything I actually want to know what our dear female judges were thinking by showing up on a show like this? Hadiqa definitely forgot that a bangle is supposed to be worn on the arms & not on the head by wrapping the strands of hair around it. I feel it’s good to be a punk but a reasonable one is not much to expect. I can’t imagine how people in the studio & even the contestants would’ve controlled their laughter fits because I certainly had an uncontrollable one & also I want to know what was Bushra Ansari thinking as well? I think Sarree’s pallus are used to cover what you may want to but she may have missed that detail too. I am not sure what’s wrong with her but I think to age gracefully isn’t too much to ask for from her either!
Having said that, the list of performances by the Top 8 contestants is as follows:
Zamad Baig (ZB) of Mandi Bahauddin chose Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan as his idol & sang ‘Sanu Ik Pal Chain Na Avey’. I found his performance just fine, wasn’t too overly impressed by him even though he sang really well but he was just good at it & nothing extra ordinary. Rahim Shah said he was excellent & all his notes were just perfect. Bushra gave him a standing ovation & said he was wonderful. Hadiqa liked his singing & Ali said it was a stellar performance & he forces people to become his fan.
Shahmir Aziz Quidwai (SQ) of Islamabad sang Ali Azmat’s ‘Sayonee’. I think he changed the feel of the song, made it too slow & screamed like anything which made him go flat at times as well. Ali Azmat being the actual singer of the song pointed out the technical mistakes in the notes. Hadiqa clearly said she wasn’t happy with the performance & said he himself knew that he committed a big mistake & after that he couldn’t perform well. Bushra started calling him a fighter, a brave contestant & someone who takes criticism strongly but didn’t say much on his performance. I absolutely loved what Rahim Shah said to him that this stage is not for learning anymore, either you perform good & stay in the competition or get eliminated after a poor performance.
Ali Asad Zaidi (AZ) of Karachi sang AR Rehman’s ‘Dil Se’. The band sort of remixed the song but when it came to Ali Asad he sang it brilliantly. It was a difficult song but the way he attempted it was great. Bushra said he had made a few mistakes but overall the performance was great. Rahim Shah said he gave more than it was required for this stage & he was brilliant. Ali said it was a difficult song which can be tackled properly in a studio while recording but to sing it live on stage that too in one take was commendable. Hadiqa agreed to Ali & said he is going to give a tough time to his co-contestants, she also felt that he made some mistakes but said they can be labeled as human errors which can be ignoned.
Mohammad Shoaib (MS) of Peshawar sang Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s ‘Mai Tennu Samjhawan Ki’. He was brilliant & has improved like anything, even though the ending was flat but he did a complete justice to the song. Bushra said he attempted it really well but felt he didn’t own the song (!?!?!). Hadiqa finally said ‘maza a gaya’. She liked his performance & felt that there were a few mistakes which can be ignored but she said she could connect to the feel of his singing. Ali said he selected a difficult song but sang it really well. Rahim Shah suggested he should sing Pushto songs & choose such songs that suit his vocal tone but he liked his performance & pointed out the flat ending.
Waqas Ali Vicky (WV) of Mian Channu sang Sajjad Ali’s ‘Katna Naee’. He was brilliant & sounded very melodious. Bushra said he picked a difficult song but very sweetly sang it & she named him Waqas Ali Barfi. Rahim Shah made him sing without the music to make a point that this was his actual voice & said he sang perfectly but he passed a judgment in fact gave him an advice that he shouldn’t hide his own voice & project it like it is. Hadiqa appreciated that he owned the song & she couldn’t hear him copy Sajjad Ali’s voice. She said he did copy the singing style but the voice was very much his own & she liked it. Ali Azmat was all praises for Waqas Ali Vicky & said that just because he was sitting while performing, it affected his projection but otherwise he was good.
Rosemary (RM) of Karachi sang Lata Mangeshkar’s ‘Saulah Baras Ki Baali Umer’. I think this was by far the best performance of Rosemary with no excuses left for pointing out any errors. Ali said she sounds mature to her age & it was a great performance. Rahim Shah felt she had a control over her voice & molded it with ease. Bushra said there were no flaws this time & she had taken care of everything. Hadiqa loved her performance as well.
Kashif Ali (KA) of Lahore sang Kailash Kher’s ‘Ya Rabba’. He was perfect once again & as usual but just because the song had more low notes I felt that the music overlapped his voice. I think the band needs to take care of it. Bushra pointed out a little technical issue that Sajjad Ali himself reminded Kashif of as well. According to her he needs to give a breathing space while singing & he himself needs to decide where to take a pause so that he won’t miss the words. Rahim Shah & Ali Azmat gave him a hug & were all praises for him. Hadiqa loved the ending & said the performance was larger than life.
Abdul Rafay Khan (RK) of Karachi sang Ghulam Ali’s ghazal ‘Hungama Hai Kyun Barpah’. He was good but there were some clear mistakes. Ali said he made a difficult choice but apart from a few issues he was good at it. Hadiqa felt that there was an issue with the notes through out the performance. Bushra said it wasn’t a suitable song for him even though he tried & even though at times he was more than good but still he lacked because of the caliber of the ghazal itself. Rahim Shah said he needs to work on the delivery of his words.
So, these were all the performances. I feel everyone sang really well except a certain someone but my favorites from this episode would be Waqas Ali Vicky, Mohammad Shoaib, Kashif Ali & Rosemary. I think the way judges try to sugar-coat Shahmir’s mistakes is just unfair. Bushra Ansari kept on praising him for being brave & what not but I think Pakistan Idol is all about singing & not about measuring the caliber of who is emotionally strong or who takes criticism perfectly. If that’s what Shahmir is good for then Living On The Edge is the right place for him to be because in Pakistan Idol people are concerned only & solely with the singing so instead of pep talking to the audience about any contestant they should just come up & rationally give the judgement so that the people actually know what’s happening & who deserves to stay!
It’s going to get so tough from now onwards to see any deserving contestant get eliminated because they all have been performing perfectly. I feel after this episode Abdul Rafay Khan, Shahmir Aziz Quidwai might go to the danger zone, not sure about Zamad Baig though, he may be safe or may not be so let’s see!
Please do share with us your favorite & least favorite performances of the night.
Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.
