A Pakistani Music Revolution In Bollywood

Their claim to fame, at the beginning of the century, heralded a new era in Bollywood music - the Pakistani song. Jal, the neighbouring nation's biggest pop act, made their debut in Indian cinema in 2004. Their song Aadat, from the movie Kalyug, topped charts in all countdowns and India also got a new playback artist, in former band member, Atif Aslam.

Nearly half a decade later, the now disbanded and reformed Jal is creating its own gateway into Bollywood with two movies in the pipeline, Kaizad Gustad's and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's next flicks.

Founder member Goher Mumtaz, is grinning. "We are working on some Bollywood projects and would love to do more," says the lead guitarist and songwriter.

Making an entry into Bollywood has been fairly easy for the band as composers, since their original melodies found an easy audience. Which is why, the band is also planning on coming down this July to release their third album in India.

"We will be coming to India soon for the last round up tour and a few meetings, tie ups for our next album and then head to the studios to concentrate and finalise the next album, which also is almost ready. But what we are excited about is shooting our videos here," adds Mumtaz, who explains how the new line-up of him, vocalist Farhan Saeed and Aamis Sheraz on bass has allowed him to explore a more mature sound than the songs they made until three years ago.

New sound

"Boondh was our last album in 2007. Since then, the band has been busy touring different parts of the world. In the meantime, we have been working on new material. Jal has a new sound. The Sufi pop is done and now we are exploring a new sound," says Mumtaz promising a Pakistani music revolution in Bollywood.

"Before making the third album, I have specially designed and set up the studio called GM studios and bought equipment that is required by the band to achieve the best production quality. Plus we have all the liberty and freedom to record and mix it to perfection without time limitations, so now we really know what sound we need after seven years," finishes Mumtaz.