Another interesting episode. After Sajjad Ali’s episode & Shahmir’s elimination, I think this one will stay with me because I actually enjoyed Ali Zafar as a judge but more as a mentor. I think he brought out the best in the singers & lead them like no one has ever done. His main focus was to make them understand how they are supposed to convey a feel of the song & loved how he broke down the emotions of each & every word & sentence which actually helped the contestants understand a lot more about the right projection of the emotions behind the words. It looked like Ali Zafar’s a perfectionist & he was working towards making all the songs of his that were going to be performed, perfective. It was a treat to watch him & his judgements. :)
The list of the performances is as follows:
Rosemary (RM) of Karachi sang a duet sung by Ali Zafar & Shreya Ghosal named ‘Dhichkiyaoon’ for the Indian movie ‘Chashme Baddoor’. She sang it with ease & seemed really confident & I couldn’t help noticing how pretty she is. Ali Zafar said that she had this naughtiness in her voice that was actually needed for this song & she used it really well. He also said that her voice is perfect for singing the duet songs. Bushra Ansari said she enjoyed the song & felt that even though it was a duet, she sang it really well. Hadiqa said it was a high-pitched song but Rosemary was effortless in her performance. Ali Azmat said that it’s for the first time he has felt she chose a song that is appropriate for her age & commended her saying she was brilliant.
Ali Asad Zaidi (AZ) of Karachi sang Ali Zafar’s ‘Dekha Jo Teri Ankhon Main’ from his album ‘Masti’. It was a perfect performance & he made it enjoyable to listen to. Bushra Ansari said she was just so happy that she can’t explain. Ali Azmat mimicked Bushra said he was happy too & said it was a difficult song that he sang easily. Hadiqa gifted him a bell & it was absolutely hilarious. I thought it was a very cute gesture. Like always she called him a star & said his performance was brilliant. Ali Zafar spoke about the technicality of the song because he himself has sung it. According to him this song gives a very less breathing margin to the singer & has a few difficulties but seeing Ali Asad Zaidi holding it all together during his performance left Ali Zafar amazed too.
Kashif Ali (KA) of Lahore sang Ali Zafar’s ‘Jugnuon Se Bhar Le Anchal’ from his album ‘Huqa Pani’. I must say this performance of Kashif marked his presence on the TOP 3 definitely, he was just perfect. Ali Azmat said he breathed the life into this song & made it effective in it’s own way. Ali Zafar felt his voice has a spirituality in it & spoke about how he tried to bring him out of his comfort zone to see how well he performs & I am glad Ali Zafar did it because Kashif nailed it. Bushra Ansari said his performance had everything starting from expressions to sweetness to spirituality. Hadiqa said Kashif came out of his comfort zone & didn’t ever let Ali Zafar’s singing style overlap his.
Mohammad Shoaib (MS) of Peshawar sang Ali Zafar’s ‘Masti Ke Din Hain’ from his album ‘Masti’. It was a fun-filled, power-packed performance & he totally stole the show which even compelled Ali Zafar to give him a standing ovation. Ali Azmat said he was brilliant. Bushra Ansari said the audience enjoyed as well as we enjoyed the performance. Hadiqa said he chose a great song & sang it really well, she said he had all those moves going on but pretty much had a control on his notes & she even said she loved his performance. Ali Zafar said he came with a positive energy & entertained the whole crowd, he also spoke about the technicality of the song & appreciated Shoaib’s take on it.
Zamad Baig (ZB) of Mandi Bahauddin sang Ali Zafar’s ‘Dastaan-e-Ishq’ from his album ‘Dhoom’. No doubt he sang it really well because he is definitely a great singer but I wasn’t impressed with the song choice because it was like we are listening to the very good ol’ Zamad Baig – the Qawwal of Pakistan Idol. Bushra Ansari said it was a soulful performance but she found him weak at times too. Hadiqa said very appropriately he chose a song that matched his vocal tone (surprise surprise) & didn’t take any risks but sang it well. Ali Azmat said he has an earthy feeling to his personality & that shines through his performance too. Ali Zafar spoke about knowing the true meaning of Sufism & then performing a Sufi song brings in a whole new meaning to the performance & he commended Zamad for justifying the song completely.
So, this was it from this particular episode of Pakistan Idol. My favorite performances were of Kashif Ali, Ali Asad Zaidi & Mohammad Shoaib. I think Rosemary did sing a song really well but I feel she earned herself a ticket of exit from the show because Pakistani audience have not liked these sort of songs that were performed previously in Pakistan Idol too. Mehwish Maqsood got eliminated when she said ‘Dil Mera Muft Ka’, Asad Raza Sonu also got eliminated when he sang ‘Dil Mai Bajji Guitar’, similarly despite the fact that Rosemary has sung the song like the way it should’ve been performed but I am not sure if it will earn her the votes. May be her support system, her fanbase won’t slack & vote for her to secure her position in the show but I highly doubt it.
It is definitely getting tougher & tougher but I am glad Ali Zafar came in at the right time. Hadiqa very subtly mentioned about Zamad playing it safe & not being experimental which I think is definitely needed in Pakistan Idol. I think this was just the perfect opportunity for Zamad to show his versatility but he missed it. Kashif Ali shined in this performance because he tried experimenting & very confidently he made a mark. I loved how Ali Zafar even briefed about how he must perform by sitting & giving out a romantic feel to it. His briefings to all the contestants were honest & came straight from his heart which made him look like that secure senior artist who really wanted the best for these contestants & wanted to help them earn all the praises & appreciation. This makes me think Ali Zafar would make a great judge too because he is young & seemed like he connected with the young, fresh talent pretty well.
Even though this was the very first season of Pakistan Idol & they lived up to the expectation of the viewers but now when the show is ending I feel they didn’t actually work on the genres & didn’t let the contestants show their versatility. They did come up with general themes like party, valentines, pop music but they actually didn’t test the contestants by confining their skills to certain classified genres like Ghazal, Qawwali, Sufi Music, Classical, Folk etc. I hope in the next season the complete song choice is not left on the contestants because right now each one of them except Ali Asad Zaidi & Mohammad Shoaib have pretty much made a point about what sort of songs they are good at singing & that’s it.
So this was it from my side, I thoroughly enjoyed the episode & feel that more such young successful singers should’ve been invited as guest judges because they can connect with the young contestants pretty well. Share about your favorite & least favorite performances of the night.
Keep Supporting,
Cheers,
Zahra Mirza.