Film enthusiasts and Pakistani filmmakers are looking forward to a variety of films that will be released on huge screens this Eid-ul-Fitr, as is customary. Since the Chhoti Eid also heralds the beginning of a new wedding spell and revives the need for wedding dance music, a special hype can be given to filmi songs.
Wajahat Rauf, a Pakistani filmmaker, is intimately acquainted with this pulse. The director made no secret of pushing wedding music at the appropriate times in his last two Eid-ul-Fitr movies, from Peela Rung from Parde Mein Rehne Do to the title tune of Chhalawa. The “shadi song of the year” has been released by the director of yet another Eid movie, according to an Instagram statement made by co-producer and Rauf’s wife Shazia Wajahat.
In yet another attempt to establish the genre as Rauf’s specialty, the song Gori Tera Jhumka is taken from the musical repertory of his fifth feature film, Daghabaz Dil, which starred Mehwish Hayat, Ali Rehman Khan, and Momin Saqib. As it sets out on its typical dull path, the song offers more to bemoan than to praise or overlook.
The skinny fair virgin
A new generation of Pakistanis has grown up listening to and singing Bollywood hits like Gori Gori from Shah Rukh Khan’s legendary Mein Hoon Na. Lyrical allusions to justice that were popular in 2004 persisted in full force in 2017 with Kanika Kapoor’s collaboration with Meet Bros on Chittiyaan Kalaiyaan.
Although Sanwali Saloni Si Mehbooba, released in 1991, may have overshadowed Vital Signs’ 1989 Goray Rang Ka Zamana in a more contemporary setting, the song’s focus on justice in music has a deeper history. Although Gori Tera Jhumka and its tribute to justice are surrounded by a different consumer landscape, Vital Signs may not have been aware of the urgent conversations surrounding internalized racism and the prejudices that go along with it.
It’s not necessary to accuse any of the participating artists of having evil intentions in order to challenge the widely accepted right to romanticize the fair-skinned damsel who is in greater demand than she actually is. However, there should be a lot of reality checks in Gori Tera Jhumka and Rauf’s pursuit of the ideal shadi song. Let’s start by thoughtfully considering how widespread colorism impacts people before, during, and after the wedding season.
It is not necessary to see “The Common Man’s Laundry” in order to exercise accountability for the content released for public consumption. Insiders in the business, including Gohar Rasheed and Amna Ilyas, have frequently denounced prejudice in show business towards performers whose skin tone is similar to that of the majority of Pakistani citizens. Although Daghabaz Dil is not the only person to commit colorism, this instance suggests a general contempt or lack of interest in staying current with discussions and developments.
The ideal tune for’shadi’
Even if one ignores the criticism that it promotes an unrealistic idealism—that is, that Pakistani musicians should use their positions responsibly—Gori Tera Jhumka has more fundamental flaws that keep it from winning the title of “shadi song of the year.”
Even though all filmi song subgenres have similar elements, a successful wedding dance song should be equally dependent on both sound and vision. Shadi songs must not only be appropriate for use off screen, but they also need to make an appearance on dance floors and dance rehearsals.
The song’s main problems are its terrible choreography, which makes it difficult for “commoners” to replicate, and its complete absence of on-screen chemistry, which even makes the actors’ fame useless. The chorus is where this dissonance is most noticeable because the dance moves don’t care to follow the track’s changing beats.
The moves are performed for the purpose of movement; I’m not even sure if the people behind the music are concerned with dancing as an art form in and of itself. Even said, a lot of songs with mediocre choreographies can still make dance rehearsals more lively when the shadi crowd adds the right amount of spice to catchy sounds. It remains to be seen if Gori Tera Jhumka will meet that fate.
I am a dedicated student currently in my seventh semester, pursuing a degree in International Relations. Alongside my academic pursuits, I am actively engaged in the professional field as a content writer at the Rangeinn website.