Ahead of the release of the Malayalam film Vadakkan, directed by Sajeed, global artist Zeb Bangash spoke to Timeline in an exclusive interview. While she shared her experience in Kerala, working with artists in India and more, the Pakistan-born singer-songwriter spoke about Sufi elements in her music.
“It’s become a kind of a, you know, guideline like Sufi music, but like I don’t look at it like that,” she said.
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“For me, music is music, spirituality is spirituality, and faith is faith. Sufism is its own thing, and there are some amazing people out there who are so spiritually elevated that we can call them Sufis,” she added.
Reflecting on how the Sufi elements made their way into her music, she said, “I am not that spiritually elevated, but it’s true that I maybe am around the culture or I have been exposed to certain musical forms that find their way into my expression.”
“But I can’t say that there is any conscious idea of Sufism in my music. I wouldn’t say that. Yeah. I wouldn’t dare say that,” she added with a laugh.
Zeb Bangash is a popular global artist, often featured in Pakistani Coke Studio. She has been active since 2008 and is the first Pakistani artist who served as a music director of the Hindi film Lipstick Under My Burkha, which received 18 film awards She has also sung the beautiful Hone Do Batiyaan and Haminastu from the film Fitoor (2016).
During her career, she has recorded songs in Urdu, Pashto, Punjabi, Turkish, Persian, Saraiki and others.
Vadakkan movie is slated to release next month with a bunch of prominent creatives, directed by Sajeed, sound scores by Resul Pookutty, music by Bijipal, produced by Offbeet studio.
The supernatural thriller boasts a talented cast including Shruthy Menon, Kishore G, Kalesh Ramanand, and Maala Parvathi, who bring the story to life, Keiko’s captivating cinematography, and Zeb Bangash’s original rendition, Frost FX’s VFX (Frost FX of Estonia alongside IVFX & Coconut Bunch).
Vadakkan will hit theatres on March 7.
