Zeb Bangash’s stirring rendition of Shaheen o Mahi has sent waves throughout the nation. On this Iqbal Day, PAF collaborated with Zeb Bangash and Sarmad Ghafoor to produce the beautiful song from Iqbal’s Persian poem ‘Shaheen-o-Mahi’ – an inspiriting tribute to our national poet. The project was conceptualised by the Pakistan Air Force, Media and PR wing as the motto for the PAF “Sehra ast me Darya ast Tahe Baal O Pare Mast” stems from the same poem. Directed by Hasan Naeem of Bling Studio Motion Pictures, the music video was shot at the magnificent Pakistan Monument in Islamabad. The song puts Iqbal’s poetry and his philosophy center-stage to produce an awe-inspiring rendition. Nominated for two Lux Style Awards, Zeb’s collaboration with Rameez Anwar ( Khawaja Khurshid Anwar’s grandson) ‘Wo Umeed Ki Manzil’ proved to be a roaring success, earlier this year. Directed by Hasan Naeem of Bling Studio Motion Pictures, the music video was shot at the magnificent Pakistan Monument in Islamabad. The song puts Iqbal’s poetry and his philosophy center-stage to produce an awe-inspiring rendition In the melodious and powerful voice of Zeb Bangash, this homage has won the hearts of the nation, as well as Iqbal lovers internationally. “I always wanted to know more about the Iqbal the world knows about – the poet and thinker whose works span many themes and languages and who is revered as a sufi and a revolutionary from Iran to Germany. I loved working on this project because it did just that. It celebrated Iqbal in that context and highlighted his awe-inspiring work in Persian. When I met the team that had conceptualized this, I was really surprised to find that they were passionate about Iqbal not only from the perspective of being members of the Pakistan airforce but also as linguists, and students of literature and poetry. Fluent in Persian and big music enthusiasts, Air Commodores Ahmer and Ali were ardent Iqbal fans who enthusiastically went over the nuances int he poem and the themes addressed in the writing. Working with Sarmad who is a gifted and innovative producer really bring everyone’s vision to life. It was an absolute pleasure to be part of this lovely team We wanted the song to be accessible to a bigger audience in Pakistan and so, Air Commodore Ahmer thought of narrating the translation in Urdu, and that is the orator you hear in Shaheen-o-Mahi, which brought another dimension to the poetry,” Zeb said while talking exclusively to Daily Times.