It is more than heartening to know that our youth listens to and appreciates Madam Noor Jehan’s immortal songs.

A young film-maker Umar Riaz has made a short film titled The Chrysanthemum to pay tribute to the late ionic singer’s songs. The film was released on the occasion of her birth anniversary (Sept 21).

The film is the story of a young boy and a girl in different phases of their lives, and 12 of Madam’s famous songs (including Chandni Raatein, Gaye gi Duniya Geet Mere etc) form the background score to the various stages of their relationship. Incidentally, Umar R has assisted the legendary Terrence Mallick on a number of his films.

The Chrysanthemum is a worthy effort for which Umar R deserves all the accolades. Only if the film was trimmed down a bit to make the visual narrative a tad more crisp…. Still, fantastic!

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, October 2nd, 2016