Will ‘Chand Sitara’ be the next ‘Dil Dil Pakistan’?

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We’ve all heard the name and have witnessed his creative artistry. Shoaib Mansoor hardly needs an introduction, known as he is for his stellar film and television productions that raise the bar of quality as well as for his trendsetting music videos and compositions. Then you have the Vital Signs, the band from the ’80s and ’90s who gave us music that still reminds us of all that is worth celebrating in this country. Pepsi couldn’t have come up with a better combination to put together on one platform to kick off Independence Day celebrations Monday evening at the Royal Palm.

The event marked the video launch of ‘Chand Sitara’, a national song in the same vein as the cult classic ‘Dil Dil Pakistan’. The similarity is hardly surprising, given that the men behind the two songs are the same. For music fans, the most exciting part of this collaborative venture is that fact that it brings together the original line-up of Vital Signs – Junaid Jamshed, Shahi Hassan and Salman Ahmed – together after almost two decades. Rohail Hyatt, unfortunately, couldn’t be part of the project.

From models to musicians and sportsmen, the glitterati showed up in huge numbers to lend their support to the patriotic event. Guests included Mehreen Syed, Amna Babar, HSY, Tariq Amin, Ahmed Ali Butt, Shiraz Uppal, Hadiqa Kiyani, Zoe Viccaji, Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Malik.

Zoe Viccaji, who performed alongside Junaid Jamshed and Shahi and was visibly excited to share the stage with the legends, spoke to Instep about the song. “ The lyrics of ‘Chand Sitara’ are very inspiring. They talk about the significance of the crescent and moon in the flag and according to Shoaib Mansoor, the people are the sun and they are the ones who actually give light to the chand and sitara so it’s up to us to illuminate our flag,” she explained.

The surprise of the evening was to see the musician-turned-evangelist Junaid Jamshed clad in a sherwani and prayer hat and sporting a beard belting out some oldies such as “Maula” and “Hum Hain Pakistani Hum to Jeetain Gay.” While he managed to raise many an eyebrow at his somewhat controversial presence (this is the same man who has declared music haram and his views on women’s rights are equally regressive), once he started singing, it was so easy to forget the negativity and just focus on that amazing voice that still has the power to induce goose bumps. His songs evoked strong nostalgic feelings and many in the audience were seen wiping off a tear or two.

‘Chand Sitara’ itself is a melody that can be described as catchy and pure, reflecting peace and serenity of the side of Pakistan that we all dream about now. The aerial photography in the video is unmatched and shows Shoaib Mansoor’s prowess in the field of video direction. It also features several of the country’s unsung heroes, including a social entrepreneur, a blind cricketer, the youngest chess Olympiad and a formula 3 driver.