Muh Dikhai
Studio album by
Shafqat Amanat Ali
ReleasedMarch 20, 2015 (2015-03-20)
GenrePop, Sufi, devotional, folk
Length51:02
LabelTimes Music
Shafqat Amanat Ali chronology
Kyun Dooriyan
(2010)		 Muh Dikhai
(2015)		 A Tribute to Legends: Ghulam Ali
(2022)

Muh Dikhai: Unveiling the Songs of Eternal Love (Hindi: मुँह दिखाई; transl. Revealing One's Face) is the third solo studio album by Pakistani classical and pop singer, songwriter, and composer Shafqat Amanat Ali.[1][2][3][4][5] It was released in India on March 20, 2015 by the Times Music label.[6][7][8][9]

Background and musical style

The album was released five years after Ali's previous album, Kyun Dooriyan, and does not specifically focus on a particular genre or theme.[3][10][11][12] It features an eclectic mix of pop, folk, ghazal, sentimental ballads, and Sufi devotional songs and includes songs in both Hindi and Punjabi.[7][13][14][15]

Rolling Stone (India) characterized the album as "genre-bending" and "rock-ballad-meets-symphony-meets-Hindustani classical."[16] While discussing the overall tone of the album, Ali stated: "I have given a slight twist to the traditional forms in terms of orchestration and arrangements."[13] Ali has stated that the songs "Rang," "Muh Dikhai (Teri Khoj)," "Dil Dharhaknay Ka Sabab," and "Ratiyaan" were especially significant for him, and that they formed the framework for the rest of the tracks in the album.[1] Muh Dikhai received positive reviews for "fusing various genres to create timeless melodies"[17] and several of its songs topped musical charts across both India and Pakistan.[18]

Composition and songwriting

Ali worked on the album for about three years and composed around 16 tracks for it, ultimately choosing nine of them for release.[14][19][20][21] The track "Dil Dharhaknay Ka Sabab" is a popular ghazal originally composed by Ali's father, Ustad Amanat Ali Khan[22] and written by prominent Pakistani poet Nasir Kazmi.[23][24] The song has previously been sung by Ghulam Ali, Asha Bhonsle, and Pankaj Udhas using traditional ghazal arrangements. However, Ali rendered the song in an unconventional orchestral style for the album,[25] using primarily a vocal-and-piano arrangement, in addition to utilizing the cello and oboe.[26] In an interview with Rolling Stone (India), while referring to this track, Ali remarked: "when you think of ghazals, a certain idea comes to your mind; the conventional pattern usually, which involves tabla and harmonium. I wanted to change that. I wanted to do things differently.”[16] Veteran Indian actor Naseeruddin Shah featured in the song's music video[27] which was shot in Mumbai, India[28][26] by renowned cinematographer Manu Anand, director of photography for Hindi movies such as Dum Laga Ke Haisha, Fan, and Zero.[29] The music video also pays tribute to Pakistani singer Noor Jahan,[30] who sang a version of the ghazal in 1984.[31][32]

The sentimental ballads in the album—"Ratiyaan," "Tere Liye," and "Tum Nahi Aaye"—revolve around familiar romantic and emotional tropes of longing, loneliness, and memories. Consistent with love ballads, each of the three songs is narrative in nature and slower in tempo. They also follow a strophic form and feature musical arrangements that use acoustic instruments such as pianos, guitars, and orchestral sets.[26]

The album features two Sufi tracks – "Muh Dikhai (Teri Khoj)" and "Rang."[14][33]

  • Referring to the name of the album and the eponymous title track, "Muh Dikhai" (literally: revealing one's face), Ali noted that the song "equates God to a bride whose face remains hidden under a veil. You have to let go of your corporeal existence to catch a glimpse of the divine."[13] The notion of God's face being concealed behind a veil and yearning for the sight of God's face are prominent motifs in Sufi mysticism and Sufi mystical poetry.[34] The song is based on the Punjabi poem titled "Rabb" from a collection of verses called Saave Pattar, written by noted Indian poet Mohan Singh.[13]
  • Ali adapted the track "Rang" from the well-known 700-year-old qawwali "Aaj Rang Hai," written by the 13th-century Sufi poet Amir Khusrau,[35] where he (Khusrau) describes to his mother his ecstasy and joy upon finding his pir or murshid (spiritual guide) in the Sufi saint Nizamuddin Auliya. The original verses by Khusrau occupy a prominent space in the soundscape of Sufi music in South Asia.[36] Numerous vocalists have sung variations of this popular song over the years — most notably Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Abida Parveen, and more recently, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Amjad Sabri for Coke Studio (Season 9). While the song is traditionally sung in a high-energy, fast-paced tempo consistent with the qawwali genre, Ali gave it a relatively softer and leisurely treatment, infusing mellow and earthy vocals into a contemporary arrangement, while still retaining rapturous elements of the qawwali.[37]

Track listing

Most tracks are written and composed by Shafqat Amanat Ali.[1] The title track "Muh Dikhai (Teri Khoj)" is written by noted Indian poet Mohan Singh.[13][21] "Rang" is written by Amir Khusrau.[35] "Dil Dharhaknay Ka Sabab" is written by Nasir Kazmi,[24] composed by Ali's father, Ustad Amanat Ali Khan,[22] and arranged by Pakistani record producer Shani Arshad.[37]

No.TitleLength
1."Dil Kookay"4:25
2."Janiya"4:27
3."Ratiyaan"5:51
4."Sun Lo"5:32
5."Rang"4:36
6."Tere Liye"5:36
7."Muh Dikhai (Teri Khoj)"6:12
8."Tum Nahi Aaye"5:38
9."Dil Dharhaknay Ka Sabab"8:45
Total length:51:02

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Rocking it, the sufi style…". The Tribune. April 27, 2015. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  2. ↑ "I'm a composer, would love to compose for movies some day: Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan". News18. 2015-03-16. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
  3. 1 2 "Shafqat Amanat Ali rocks the music world". www.mid-day.com. 2015-03-21. Retrieved 2021-12-25.
  4. ↑ "Music demand at an all-time high: Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan". The Statesman. 2015-03-16. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  5. ↑ "Top 13 Pakistani Musicians and Singers of All Time". showbizfashion.pk. 2020-10-23. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  6. ↑ "INTERVIEW: Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan - Asian News from UK". 2015-03-16. Retrieved 2021-09-27.
  7. 1 2 "Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan is still in demand". gulfnews.com. Retrieved 2021-12-25.
  8. ↑ "Music demand at an all-time high: Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan". The Indian Express. 2015-03-16. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
  9. ↑ Shastri, Lokesh (March 28, 2015). "Rockstar Ustad Shafqat Amanat Ali's most romantic presentation: MUH DIKHAI Unveiling the eternal songs of love". apnnews.com. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  10. ↑ "Shafqat Amanat Ali dedicates his new album Muh Dikhai to fans". Hindustan Times. 2015-04-22. Retrieved 2021-12-25.
  11. ↑ Indiablooms. "Music straddling boundaries | Indiablooms - First Portal on Digital News Management". Indiablooms.com. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  12. ↑ "Beyond the bounds of Bollywood". The Express Tribune. 2015-03-16. Retrieved 2021-12-25.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 "Music of my soul". filmfare.com. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  14. 1 2 3 Pioneer, The. "'I will sing everything except rap'". The Pioneer. Retrieved 2021-11-09.
  15. ↑ Desk, Magazine. "Ranbir Kapoor sends a shout-out to his celebrity fan-girl Mawra Hocane". www.thenews.com.pk. Retrieved 2021-12-25.
  16. 1 2 Singh, Nirmika (2015-04-03). "With Love From Lahore". Rolling Stone India. Retrieved 2021-11-02.
  17. ↑ "Rockstar Ustad Shafqat Amanat Ali presents his most romantic presentation". musicunplugged.in. March 29, 2015. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  18. ↑ "Shafqat Amanat Ali to Initiate Legal Action Against EMI Pakistan For Defamation and Fake Claim Of Copyright". www.businesswireindia.com. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  19. ↑ "Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan: I don't worry if my song doesn't catch on - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 2021-08-27.
  20. ↑ "Shafqat Amanat Ali reveals his 'Muh Dikhai' experience". www.radioandmusic.com. Retrieved 2021-10-04.
  21. 1 2 "Shafqat Amanat Ali's new album - Muh Dikhai". SBS Your Language. Retrieved 2022-01-11.
  22. 1 2 "Shafqat Amanat, Naseeruddin team up for video". Mangalorean.com. 2015-07-20. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  23. ↑ "Pakistani singer Shafqat Amanat Ali releases a ghazal-based song featuring Naseeruddin Shah". Janta Ka Reporter. 2015-07-31. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  24. 1 2 "Times Music releases Shafqat Amanat Ali's third album". musicunplugged.in. July 21, 2015. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  25. ↑ Mahmood, Asma Arshad (Aug 17, 2020). "Shafqat Amanat Ali with Asma Arshad Mahmood". youtube.com. Retrieved Jan 21, 2022.
  26. 1 2 3 "Shafqat Amanat, Naseeruddin Shah team up for video". indianexpress.com. 2015-07-20. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  27. ↑ "Naseeruddin Shah to star in Shafqat Amanat Ali's new video". The Express Tribune. 2015-07-20. Retrieved 2022-01-19.
  28. ↑ Desk, India TV News (2015-07-20). "Shafqat Amanat, Naseeruddin team up for video | IndiaTV News". www.indiatvnews.com. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  29. ↑ IANS (2015-07-22). "Shafqat, Naseeruddin team up for video". www.millenniumpost.in. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  30. ↑ "Shafqat Amanat Ali's 'Dil Dharakne Ka Sabab' feat. Naseerudin Shah is out". DAWN.COM. 2015-07-29. Retrieved 2022-01-17.
  31. ↑ "Shafqat Amanat Ali and Naseeruddin Shah come together for sorrowful melody". ARY NEWS. 2015-07-31. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  32. ↑ Desk, Entertainment (2015-07-31). "Copyright infringement: EMI issues notice to Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan". DAWN.COM. Retrieved 2022-01-16.
  33. ↑ Jalil, Rakhshanda (2017-03-09). "Sufiana Rang: Holi in the words of Urdu bards". hindustantimes.com. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
  34. ↑ Parsons, Martin (2005). Unveiling God: Contextualising Christology for Islamic Culture. William Carey Library. p. 156.
  35. 1 2 "Sufiana Rang: Holi in the words of Urdu bards". Hindustan Times. 2017-03-09. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  36. ↑ "How Amir Khusrau's 'rung' inspired the film and music culture of South Asia". Firstpost. 2017-11-26. Retrieved 2021-12-25.
  37. 1 2 "Day 3 Session 8 (Poets Whom I Have Sung): Shafqat Amanat Ali". facebook.com. Shoolini Literature Festival. April 10, 2022. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
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