I’ve been listening to the Pepsi Battle of the Bands launch song on repeat and honestly, the brand has brought together the three biggest powerhouses you could combine in one cohesive composition. Star power doesn’t get bigger than this in Pakistan. You have Fawad, making a singing comeback as he reprises ‘Do Pal Ka Jeevan’ in memory of Vital Signs. India’s loss is our gain because one wonders whether Fawad would have found the time to come onboard had he been busy with films in Bollywood, even if he wanted to. It’s a treat to hear him sing, and I’m sure his fans are ecstatic to just see him on screen again.
You have Meesha Shafi with her full throated vocals and that beaming smile that speaks volumes on hope and optimism. Meesha is a rock star and there aren’t many rock stars in Pakistan that come in high heels and unapologetically red lipstick. I can’t think of another female performer who could sit on the judges panel and command the kind of attention that Meesha will. She’s honest and straight forward in her opinion so it’ll be interesting to see her judge the competing bands.
And then you have Atif Aslam, the man at the top of music’s totem pole in Pakistan. Atif’s fan following is insane and it isn’t without reason. There’s magic in his chords and when it comes to music, his opinion matters. He comes in with Alamgir’s ‘Dekha Na Tha’ and one hears the hidden message to the world; ‘duniya humein chahe joh kahe…
And there’s more. It’s emotional to see Shahi Hassan in the video. He brings back memories of Vital Signs hey days.
There’s a young girl band featured in the video as well and if they’re contestants then it’s delightful to know that there will be all-girl bands in the running too.
Asad ul Haq has done full justice to the video because the visual complements the audio and this sensory overload kind of goes into overdrive, which is most definitely set out to achieve. So are we looking forward to watching the comeback of Pepsi Battle of the Bands? We sure are!!!
