Call, pop group

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Call

Calling on Call

By Shahzeb Sheikh

Dawn

Call

Call has composed and written a song by the name of ‘Laari Chuuti’ for the Bharat Shah film, ‘Ek Chalees ki Last Local’, starring Neha Dhupia and Abhey Deol. The band members composed, arranged, wrote and recorded the track themselves. It is for the first time ever that an original song by a Pakistani band will be a part of a Bollywood film’s soundtrack

Call can easily be the most overworked band of the year. After blazing the local and Indian charts with the release of their album, Jilawatan, last year, the band has been busy making videos, performing live in concerts, composing and producing music.

The band, given the most wanted band title at The Musik Awards in 2006, is fast coming at par with the likes of Strings, Fuzon, Noori and Mekaal Hasan Band. Recently they toured India, where they performed in front of a crowd of over 8,000 in Mumbai at the Channel [V] Birthday Bash on the 13th of January.

The event featured many top names in the game such as the ground-breaking artiste Akon, the alluring Shaan, young sensations Raeth, wonder boy Atif Aslam, Shankar, Ehsan, Loy and many more. The performance was a resounding success, and news is that more concerts are now coming Call’s way from across the border.

Back to the concert, Junaid set the ball rolling with Pukaar, their first single that got released in Pakistan, which got the crowds swaying. Kicking off with blistering guitar waves, courtesy Zulfiqar Khan a.k.a Xulfi, the heartrending Sab Bhula Ke was up next, which showcased Junaid’s vocal talent in a mesmerising live act. As expected, the crowd sang along.

Call

A live version of Shayad followed, with an edgy bass line rendered by Sultan alongside some hardcore drumming. Earlier, the video was criticised in Pakistan but surprisingly the song has turned out to be Call’s biggest appeal in concerts, as well as in India where the crowd went wild with dancing in the aisles.

Call has also composed and written a song by the name of Laari Chuuti for the Bharat Shah film, Ek Chalees ki Last Local, starring Neha Dhupia and Abhey Deol. However unlike some artistes who just lend their voices for tracks that are pre-composed and pre-arranged, Call composed, arranged and wrote the track themselves and recorded at Xulfi’s studio, Xth Harmonic. So, it is for the first time ever that an original song by a Pakistani band will be a part of a Bollywood film’s soundtrack.

The track is not a signature rock number, but at the same time, it is not a cheesy filmi type. Rather, it is a catchy tune by virtue of superb musical arrangements including marvellous violins that give a soothing touch to it through and through. Interestingly, the song has been composed, sung and written by Xulfi, Call’s lead guitarist and encompasses the theme (not a love-oriented one) of the film in its lyrics. Moreover, there are other composition offers from Indian producers coming their way as well.

Call

Another thing that Call is credited for is their dedication to create music for various causes. After the Oct 8 disaster, they rendered Kal Hamara Hai and dedicated it to the earthquake victims. This time, they are coming up with a special tune for the World Cup, which is all set to be released on March 10 across major TV networks. It is a motivating track for Pakistan’s cricket team and communicates the nation’s support and prayers. “Cricket has always been my favourite sport and this is the perfect opportunity to motivate our national heros,” said Xulfi while talking to this scribe.

Working towards the elimination of piracy, Call’s music is now legally available on some of the biggest music networks like I-tune, Napster, Sony Connect, Rapsody, Music Match and many more. They are the first local band to get their music uploaded on these legal web sites. Call fans can also look forward to their second album which is in the making and is slated for a release later this year.