We just can’t get enough of Abbas Ali Khan: since his appearance on Coke Studio Season 7, not only has the artist produced back-to-back scores for films like Jalaibee and Dekh Magar Pyaar Se, he has been releasing new videos for songs off his latest album Tamam Alam Mast.
His recently released video for ‘Mehfil’ is just as splendid.
Shot at the historical National College of Arts (NCA), the video starts off with veteran actor Jamal Shah asking students to paint the content and not the form of the singer, implying the importance of soul over body.
As the tune falls into place, Abbas's voice fuses with heartfelt lyrics written by the great Sufi poet of the sub-continent, Zaheen Shah Taji:
Teri mehfil me hum khoye hue se paaye jatay hain
Yahan pe hum hosh atay nahi laye jatay hain
Muhabbat hamain kis manzil pe le aayi Khuda janay
Tasalli aap dearahay hain, hum ghabraye jatay hain
While the lyrics narrate a woeful tale of unrequited love, the video shows young artists painting Abbas in various forms: a tied-up man, an angel, a devil and a clown, depicting the inner self's many faces.
Clowns are a recurring image in Abbas' music videos (Tariq Amin painted him as a clown in his first popular video 'Sun Re'), and we wonder whether there's a reason he identifies with the motif!
And another reason to watch 'Mehfil'? It also brings together great musicians like Gumby and Faraz Anwer. Like always, Abbas Ali Khan hasn't failed to impress his fans.