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Meeting up with Dino
From a singer to a VJ and an actor, Dino wants to do it all. But the burning question on everyone’s minds is: Is he still at Indus Music, or did he never quit?
Dino is quite candid about the whole affair. According to him, he never left Indus Music but was on a leave and is now doing two shows for them. The disappearance from the music channel was due to his upcoming album which is slated to be released shortly. “I wasn’t getting any time at all because I was doing so many shows. IM obviously needed my attention and wanted me to give them priority. My main focus was my music; I told them I needed to finish my album. I met Ghazanfar Ali who told me to think about it and that his doors are always open. I went off for a month or two, did my album and came back.”
Were there issues that needed to be taken care of at IM which was why the other VJs had quit? According to Dino, there were certain things that could be changed.
For instance, the jealousy among other VJs, who felt that Anoushey and Dino were given special treatment. But the more pressing factor was that the VJs were not being taken seriously in terms of growth.
“We were doing shows that were very teenage-based, but with not much content, because obviously we were doing stuff on our own and writing the scripts ourselves.” He feels that people are quick to label you and then just leave you in the lurch.
The frustration in his voice was an indication that the situation at the channel at the time was detrimental to their careers. “We were very frustrated by the fact that we were being undermined. Ghazanfar was the only one who supported us and cared about what we did. When we finally came to him and told him about the problems we were facing, he was shocked because he didn’t realize what was going on. The heads never told him what the VJs were going through.”
Dino is emphatic about the fact that he did not have any major issues with the IM management. He felt that he was being treated fine, and having a different goal in mind, i.e. his music, made him less frustrated than the rest of the lot. After working at other channels and doing different projects, Dino feels that he has the ability to do everything, but a drastic change in his TV persona is not in the offing since he feels that it would not really work out for the better.
As a VJ, Dino then adopted the voice of PK, an annoying puppet who makes fun of all bands, specially Noori, on IM Requested. Inspired by Channel [V]’s puppet Muriel, PK liked to target Noori because of all the criticism Anoushey and Dino had been going through. “During a campaign, Anoushey and I spent two months with Noori, doing at least 15 shows together. People could literally breathe Noori; there was so much of them. We, as VJs, were the main target because people thought that we were supporting them and giving them so much airplay.
He is quick to clear that the Noori-bashing was not due to any personal reasons. “I love Noori and I never wanted to undermine or degrade them in any way. Ali Hamza and Ali Noor are very good friends, and so is Gumby. They all took it as a joke; they knew it was a puppet character just having fun.”
What about the other VJs on IM who made fun of bands mercilessly? “When you’re given authority, you can do a lot and you can take advantage of that. You can abuse your position as a celebrity. People do look up to us. I even told this to Faizan and Mani specially, because they’re kings of being outspoken and say what they want. Like saying that EP is Linkin Park, and people do take that seriously. Artistes are very fragile, they’re very sensitive about the work they do. You spend 15 hours in a studio, stuck in a room listening to one song and one line over and over again. I’ve done it for the last two months so I know how it feels like. I respect artistes a lot more now that I’ve done my album. You shouldn’t put them down because they don’t make the kind of music that you like.”
Besides, there had been rumours that the IM management was not happy with Dino and ex-VJ Mani doing shows on radio. “No one wants someone you’ve built and made what they are to go off and work, at the same time, for another company,” he says and adds candidly, “I admit that it was my mistake as well.” But Dino makes it clear that it was just a ‘minor problem’ that had arisen. “IM has always been a channel where the biggest and the smallest artist gets treated the same way. Hash gets as much attention as Atif Aslam would.”
For the past few months he has also been working as an RJ on a local FM station, which in his opinion is more enjoyable than TV. Since going live on a music channel is hardly possible due to the technicalities involved, Dino finds being an RJ to be a rewarding experience. “I now know that I have the ability to make people smile. Being on the radio has also made me realize what the masses think about me, which is a big advantage.”
Dino’s upcoming debut album has been recorded by Faraz Haider and Yasir Jalbani, part of the underground rock band Andher. The album is a mix of everything — from disco to a UK bhangra-inspired song. He did attempt to set the record straight about the controversy regarding one of his songs, Pari, which was alleged stolen from his ex-guitarist Sohaib, and was also a rip-off of Spin Doctors’ Two Princes. “The beginning chords, the very slow chords that start off the song before it goes into the main riffs, were made by Sohaib. I admit that and give him credit for it. The lyrics, melody, the part after that was made by me and Yasir Jalbani. Sohaib and I are very close friends.”
As for the similarity between Pari and Two Princes, Dino says that the jazzed up version of the song, also in the video, did sound a bit like the Spin Doctors’ tune but it was unintentional. However, the album will include the acoustic version of the song which he feels is more popular among his fans.
What’s up next for Dino? A telefilm based on the film The Notebook, where Dino plays the doomed lover Punhu. It remains to be seen what lies in the future for the guy who wants to do it all.
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