For the last couple of years, music group Noori, featuring brothers Ali Noor and Ali Hamza, has been very active in the local music scene. When they’re not releasing singles or playing their tunes live, you can find them walking the fine line between commercial projects and personal pursuits.
“This is my journey to find my real self,”says Ali Noor as he releases his first vlog.
MusicMix
In a series of video logs, the chief musical architect of Noori goes on a journey of letting go.
For the last couple of years, music group Noori, featuring brothers Ali Noor and Ali Hamza, has been very active in the local music scene. When they’re not releasing singles or playing their tunes live, you can find them walking the fine line between commercial projects and personal pursuits.
For Ali Hamza, who is the poet in the band, the internal journey culminated in a music project called Sanwal. And now Ali Noor, who is the music mastermind behind the band, particularly their last record, Begum Gul Bakaoli Sarfarosh, is on a quest to find his inner self. Fortunately for fans of Noori, he’s willing to take us along for the ride.
A glimpse of this internal quest can be seen on YouTube where Ali Noor has launched his own video log (vlog).
Released earlier this month, the video is accompanied by text that states: “I am Ali Noor. For the last 15-16 years I’ve been a part of a band called ‘Noori’ with my brother Ali Hamza. During this time, we have released 3 albums, given you quite a few songs in the Coke Studio and have probably performed over a 1000 shows just within Pakistan.
This year I am turning 40 and I have decided to change a few things. I want to find a purpose in my life, I want to find a bigger reason to live, I want my life to be with you people so that we can start a journey together. To do things together, to explore things together, to find pleasures together, to find happiness together.
This is my journey to find my real self.”
The first video, running just over seven minutes, contains archive footage from past shows including various shots of Noor on stage as well as photos of him as a child. It includes Noor visiting stylist Saima Rashid Bargfrede as she cuts his long hair. Noor also gets his beard chopped off and surprises friends and family with his new look, which is reminiscent of the days when Noori’s ‘Tum Hans Diye’ video had released.
While talking to the camera in his car, Noor explained what it’s really about. “It’s about me letting go and not giving a f*** anymore.”
The video is playful and particularly adorable when the kids in the family ask Noor why he got rid of the beard and that he looks funny.
People who make appearances in the video include his parents, life partner and longtime Noori collaborator Mandana Zaidi, musical comrades Rakae Jamil, Kami Paul, Shiraz Uppal as well as Ali Hamza, whose nickname is Hamu.
Though the video is called ‘Ali Noor Stripped Down’, it’s not about stripping clothes but rather about stripping inhibitions. It’s the side of Noor we don’t see often as he reminisces and takes us to a place where he spent hours while he was younger and not a musician.
It is not a gimmick because the message the video imparts is important. Plus, Noor is not playing a caricature of someone else. Those of us who have known him for years know that he is as real on the screen as he is off it.
In an age where the image of a celebrity is carefully cultivated to appeal to the largest denominator of people and where photoshopped images that generate unrealistic beauty ideals and simultaneously hide every human flaw are considered acceptable, a video that tells you to not care about social norms and do what you think is right is certainly worth appreciating.
The second video, uploaded by Noor, is about the Pakistan-India final during the ICC Champions Trophy that concluded on Sunday. The video, also uploaded on the same day and running just over 5 minutes, tells us that though Noor has never been a die-hard cricket fan, he’s finally embracing the love affair that has captured the nation.
As the match is about to wrap up with India’s loss imminent, Noor goes on a hunt to find the national flag. This is followed by many more shenanigans including dancing on liberty chowk in Lahore with the rest of the city.
Through his vlogs, Noor is reminding us that letting go of inhibitions can be very healthy and trying to connect with people is the most natural thing in the world.
For more, check out the videos on YouTube.
