Daily Times

Forty-one-year-old award winning renowned ghazal singer Muhammad Wakeel is all set to release his brand new single titled “Falsafa” under singer and songwriter Daler Mehndi record label DRecords.

Hailing from Jaipur, under the aegis of Ustad Ahmed Hussain Muhammad Hussain, Muhammad Wakeel’s music has made his presence felt.

Penned by the respected lyricist Farhat Shahzad and composed by Ram Avtar Dayama who based the ghazal on the soul stirring notes of Raag Kaushik Dhwani, “Falsafa” substantiates the ups and downs, the laughter and sorrows, the ease and hardships, togetherness and separation – all colours of life through this beautiful ghazal.

“We are pleased to have Muhammad Wakeel, a talented singer on our rooster,” exclaimed Daler Mehndi. “It is our endeavour to provide the talented singers, musicians who uphold the rich culture and tradition – a platform that is conducive.”

The lyrics are also penned by Muhammad Saif Babar. The orchestral arrangements lend itself well to a Bollywood scene, making this track a little more versatile than an out and out ghazal track. Most importantly, Wakeel has infused this track with his inimitable style, emphasising the fact that the ghazal tradition is alive and kicking. Add elements of Rajasthani Folk with a cross over Sufi style to this soulful track and you get a glimpse of the excellent production skills, not to mention that this track also showcases the immense talent that Wakeel possesses in rendering these ghazals, which will firmly catapult him onto the next level for all the ghazal aficionados and musicians to appreciate.

Muhammad Saif Babar has also penned the lyrics. The orchestral arrangements lend itself well to a Bollywood scene, making this track a little more versatile than an out and out ghazal track. Most importantly, Wakeel has infused this track with his inimitable style, emphasising the fact that the ghazal tradition is alive and kicking

The other track titled “Kisi nazneen se mulakat hogi” was inspired by the fond memories that Vakeel has for his maternal grandfather Ustad Afzal Hussain. The mood of the track is a soft romantic one. With the New Year around the corner, this track builds up the anticipation to ring in the New Year. Along with the anticipation comes expectations of dreams, in particular the dream of meeting a coy girl, which in Urdu translates to “Nazre-nazakat”. This dream carries with it the expectation of romance; a world filled with unbridled joy that comes with conversing with the one that special one. Once again, the composition comes to light with Wakeel’s effervescence also coming to the fore. With the New Year around the corner, it will certainly delight fans of Wakeel and introduce him to a much wider audience.

The star power that Wakeel carries has not overwhelmed his humility that has credited this work to his two maternal uncles and renowned ghazal maestros Ustad Ahmed Hussain and Ustad Muhammad Hussain. Manju Narain has played a vital role in this process, whom Wakeel has expressed his gratitude towards in producing these tracks. And last but not the least, Wakeel has thanked the audio engineer Aakash Jaitly who made these singles literally “breathe with life” with his impressive skills.

Wakeel’s list of accolades is numerous befitting the artist that he is. He is the winner of the ‘TVS Sa-Re-Ga-Ma’ final in 1997 and ‘TVS Sa-Re-Ga-Ma’ mega final in 1998. He was bestowed the title of Rising Star by CL Nepali Organisation, Delhi in 1998. He was awarded the RD Burman Puncham Samman by Abhinaya Kala Parishad, Patankhot and the Rajasthan Sangeet Natak Academy Award 2001 by the government of Rajasthan.

Playback for ‘Veer Zaara’ and the TV serial ‘Bikhari Preet Nikhari Aas’. He has performed with Jagjit Singh, Sonu Nigam, Kavitha Krishnamurthy, Pankaj Udhas, Shankar Mahadevan and Shreya Ghoshal and also in the presence of music legends such as Lata Mangeshkar, Pandit Jasraj and many others.

The writer can be reached at hamidjahan@gmail.com

Published in Daily Times, December 26^th 2017.