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Hotstepper of the week
Strings
Even though their album Koi Aanay Wala Hai released in early 2008, Strings have managed to keep themselves in the spotlight since then. Koi Aanay Wala Hai has become one of the best selling records in recent time. Strings produced a number of exceptional videos for it; including roping in John Abraham for the 'Koi Aanay Wala Hai' video and shooting the 'Humsafar' video in Moscow. They put in a brilliant cameo appearance for the second season of Coke Studio and sparked an intense amount of buzz with plans of a duet with Atif Aslam. They've produced collaborative songs, worked for the UN, toured the US and just recently, performed at the Veet show in Karachi and at the T20 series between New Zealand and Pakistan in the UAE. And given the amount of turmoil in the country, they've worked diligently and stayed in the spotlight. But what makes them Instep's hotsteppers of the week is the video for 'Titliyan' that hit the airwaves this month. The black and white video - directed by Soheb Akhtar - recalls the icons that Pakistan has lost over the decades. It is a moving and poignant tribute to those that contributed immensely to the country's cultural landscape, from artists like Sadequain to Gulgee, actors like Mehboob Alam, Saleem Nasir, Khalida Riyasat and Yasmeen Ismail and musical legends including Mallika Pukhraj, Iqbal Bano and Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and writers and poets like Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Ashfaq Ahmed and Parveen Shakir. The video alone is enough to move one to tears, but the song itself is a gem that speaks volumes about loss and loneliness. For paying tribute to those that are rarely remembered - and for reminding one to cherish the icons we do have - Strings are Instep's hotsteppers of the week.
