Rap or Hip-hop in Pakistani Film Industry By Sheheryar Malik

sheheryar So Rap/Hip-hop should be given a place in the Pakistani film industry?

Music has always dominated any film industry all over the world. Bollywood is the biggest name in the Asian film market. Any movie in south Asian movie industry is primarily judged by the cast (who has the lead role) and the sound tracks the movie includes are then of the second most importance. Next to Bollywood stands the Pakistan’s film industry Lollywood. The two industries that represent two neighboring countries are known to have similarities as in the language, dresses, music, songs, somewhat behaviors. The music industry in both of these countries has a major influence on their film industries.

Bollywood vs Lollywood; Game on

In both the Bollywood and the Lollywood industries songs are considered to be the essence of the movie. Viewers are always keen to know what songs are there in the upcoming movies, who sung them and what genre they belong to. Bollywood has taken its industry to the peak it was preparing for since the golden era of the Pakistani film industry, the period which spanned the decades of 60s and 70s. they have been introducing newer concepts one after another, showing cultural versatility that India has, brought in newer faces with no harm done to fame and work of seniors in the industry, pioneered ideas such as the “item song” etc.

The same Bollywood also brought a change in the music thing in the film industry. The “Hip-hop/Rap experiment” has been way successful in Bollywood. The pioneer of the desi hip-hop Bohemia, the Indian star Rappers Honey Singh, Raftaar, Badshah and other big names have given new ears to the movie songs and came up with several hit songs in recent years.

Pakistani film industry on the other side is once again on its way to the boom it had seen once. OUT, of the typical “Gandasa” and “Badmash” movies, the younger and newer people in the Lollywood are finally coming up with real big things recently. Bilal Lashari’s “WAAR” did the business that a thousand “Gandasa” movies would have done otherwise in total or maybe they would have needed another thousand. Lol.. Jokes apart the movie “Operation 021” was another success of the energetic young Lollywoodians, “Namaloon Afraad” is another movie that shocked the pakistani viewers. “Yalghaar”, re-make of “Maula Jutt”, Saya Khudaye Zuljilaal “SKZ” etc are some more names that are going to be released soon.

Experimentation with Music; Bring in Some Hip-Hop We’re Bored

So here do we have a change in music too? Can we bring the rap thing here in the Lollywood as the Bollywood did? Are we ready to accept that the Hip-hop/Rap genre is becoming popular in the region far more than it has ever been?

Yes! I think this should be the very next step to come up with newer music stuff. Introducing Hip-hop in the film industry should be the key to this step. We have a lot of potential here in our young rappers who need a platform to do the job and they would put every single thing they’ve got just to earn it. I guess none of the local or underground rappers would mind if a big name like Bilal Lashari or Hassan Rana asks them to bring in some good stuff and pays them fair(Bollywood pays more than what we think fair is). Bollywood giant Akhsay Kumar did that. Akshay brought in Bohemia and Honey Singh to make songs for a couple of his movies. Just take care of the artist Sir and let the artist take care of your work.

Everybody Wins

Though a few Bollywood rappers have changed the presentation of rap making it sound more commercial but it is the least they could do with Hip-hop/Rap. Hiphop/Rap has a great room for experimentation in the film industry and this is the right time for our film industry to go for these experiments. The young, bright, innovative and energetic directors and producers of Lollywood that just proved them, have a greater chance to create landmarks in the history of south Asian film industry. They have the potential to take the initiative and provide a platform to the potential desi rappers of Pakistan. we are in need to prove our experiments with Hip-hop/Rap in film industry that if get successful (that we should be sure of looking at the current interests of people enjoying commercial kind of rap stuff in Bollywood movies) they would benefit the young emerging rappers motivating and creating an army in the genre, the people who bring them in (directors/producers) and the industry itself hence creating a win-win situation.

They Won’t Do It For You, Let’s Do It Ourselves

Being a part of the Desi Hip-Hop Army I’ll say take a chance with us. Together we can make south Asian film industry witness several new blends of traditional and hip-hop genres. Let’s be the first to do so. We have got several lots of talented hip hoppers here in Pakistan and those abroad working for the desi hip-hop representing Pakistan. So let’s join hands to create a history in south Asian film industry with your new dimensions of film making and our potential to take hip-hop to the peaks it has never been in the region ever before. Let’s just save the years waiting for Bollywood to fully master the thing so that we get the ability to follow instead lets be the ones to do many things for the first time in the history of south Asian movie industry.

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