Review: Ali Sethi's Chandni Raat Is An Emotional Treat For Music Lovers

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Ali Sethi’s latest song Chandni Raat is a deep song that takes out the treasure chest of recollections for those people who have to face the distress of longing.

Directed by Sarmad Khoosat and Awais Gohar, Chandni Raat has been composed using only three conventional instruments. These includes the violin, horn and piano which is almost 130 years old. The important thing to note is that musicians have not used any digital instrument.

 

Produced in Los Angeles by Grammy-winning musician Noah Georgeson (‘Narcos’ OST), this Urdu ghazal builds upon a famous ‘sher’ or couplet from the late Saifuddin Saif:

Chandni Raat badi der ke baad aayi hai

Lab be ik baat badi der ke baad aayi hai

(It’s a Moonlit Night after all

I wish to tell you something after all)

Lahore-based lyricist Shakeel Sohail added the remaining lyrics and give it a more deep meaning.

The music video shows a glass house with broken windows that portrays depressing atmosphere. One can see many stranded characters waiting inside it with their luggage. Just before the end of the video, all people come together while sharing the peace, unity and the gloominess changes in to light. Reaching to find each other for comfort, support, kindness, these characters shows solidarity.

If you are a keen watcher, you will definitely relate these characters with diverse segments of Pakistan’s society. All people have their own personal stories that echo the ghazal’s classic themes of Wasl (Union) and Firaaq (Separation).

“I trained in ghazal singing for many years, and one of the things I noticed was how lightly people had begun to take the genre. Young people think a ghazal is a sad love poem! Actually the great ghazals are full of powerful messages — about love, war, God, social justice — that go all the way back to the Sufis.”

"Chandni Raat is actually talking about the emotions through a beautiful music. The music video has already received a great deal of praise from Pakistan as well as India’s audiences, who have interpreted it as a call for togetherness and peace in a time of conflict.

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Jennifer Aniston 'Makes A New Friend' On Emirates

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Hollywood actress, director and producer Jennifer Aniston makes a return to the Emirates A380, and makes a new friend, in a new TV advertising campaign for the world’s best airline.

The ad builds on the success of the first Emirates-Jennifer Aniston ad launched last year, a much talked-about campaign which quickly went viral.

   

In a similar vein to the first light-hearted TVC, the Golden Globe and Emmy award-winning actress brings her distinctive personality, classic style, and a touch of humour, to showcase the A380. In the ad, Jennifer befriends Cooper, a young boy who she finds playing in her Private Suite in the Emirates First Class cabin, while she was freshening up in the Shower Spa. The two strike up a conversation and build rapport, as they stroll through Emirates’ Business Class cabin and Onboard Lounge.

Sitting on the stairs between the lower and upper decks of the aircraft, Cooper tells Jennifer about his aspirations to become a pilot – of ‘this plane’, pointing to his model Emirates A380 aircraft. In Economy Class, Cooper is finally reunited with his surprised parents where Jennifer chooses to remain and enjoy Emirates’ ice inflight entertainment system with Cooper. The ad ends with Cooper’s mother relaxing in Jennifer’s Private Suite, having exchanged places with the Hollywood star.

Boutros Boutros, Emirates’ Divisional Senior Vice President, Corporate Communications, Marketing & Brand explained: “A year ago, when we launched our first ad featuring Jennifer Aniston, we were overwhelmed by what a social phenomenon it became. The humour resonated with audiences around the world, and the ad was viewed by millions of people, generating thousands of conversations. Fans of both Emirates and Jennifer loved her effortless charm and humour, and enjoyed a story that deviated from traditional airline advertising.

“We were overrun with requests to see Jennifer again. She has an enduring, universal appeal that is at once sophisticated, but also down to earth – a great match for our brand. This new ad perfectly captures the fun, spontaneity and glamour of flying on Emirates, and we are confident audiences will find it as memorable as the first.”

The TVC was directed by industry veteran and Oscar-nominee Bryan Buckley, who is acclaimed for his numerous Super Bowl ads. The script and creative concept was a collaboration between Buckley and Emirates’ in-house advertising team and produced in conjunction with the WPP Group.

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