As the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup proceeds, cricket fever is picking up with a match between Pakistan and India scheduled to take place tomorrow. Fans across both sides of the border are super excited as winning this match is more like a matter of national pride and not just another ordinary game.
Recently, a YouTube channel in India called ‘Being India’ approached comic and rapper Ali Gul Pir to participate in a rap battle of sorts prior to the match and the latter agreed.
The two collaborated for a ‘rapbaazi’ in which they remind each other of past defeats and wins associated with both the teams.
The rap battle opens with the Indian group making a call to Ali Gul Pir, who is accompanied by Usman Mazhar, Syed Muhammad Kumail, Amtul Baweja and Akbar Chaudhry. Recalling iconic moments in the history of world cup matches, performance track of both teams and referring to some retired cricket legends is what forms the crux of the rap. Though it is nothing close to the kind of gritty rap battles we witnessed in Ranveer Singh’s Gully Boy, 8 Mile and Straight Outta Campton - it is a fun take and a relevant one given the present scenario in the world of cricket.
The video is a decent attempt, in the sense that none of the two groups tried to demean or degrade each other, particularly given the rift between the two countries. As Ali Gul Pir puts it, “They were really nice people; it was great working with them. I wish best of luck to Pakistan for the match. Whoever wins, it is just a sport; what matters is that we should have fun. We had fun making this video and I hope you had fun watching it.”
