Daily Times

Singer/songwriter Ali Ashraf has released the video of much awaited song ‘Sangdil Sheher.’

The whacky video shows the underbelly of a town and is highly inspired from Gotham.

Directed by Ali Ashraf himself and shot by Faani Films, the video was taken as a challenge for Ali to achieve a cinematic look which appeals to the aesthetics of today’s visual film medium. “With the crew and team I had we were able to pull it off. The biggest challenge was for myself as a protagonist to come up with the look of an unforgettable character and a menace inspired by the likes of the Joker and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. I wanted to show Islamabad’s underbelly tones, especially the streets that we shot in, in the basement areas. The character I play was basically a guy falling through the cracks of a rotten town,” explains Ali.

The challenge of making the video was the art direction, lighting, post production, framing, colour grading and getting all the cast. “Since it’s a visual medium you just have a few seconds to give out the information. The four characters seated at the table in the video were all given a specific look.

The aim was to make it look like an indie and very original production. I took it upon myself as a challenge as a film maker to pull off this look and credit goes to the entire team,” says Ali.

As Ali is experimenting more with the electronic side of music, this song is something he came up with while sitting at a studio during lockdown. Rithmetic from Karachi is the music producer. Ali and he collaborated online and came up with Sangdil Sheher. “It was a very creative cinematic experience for me and a boost as a film maker and singer to create something big. I hope people like the song,” says Ali.

The challenge of making the video was the art direction, lighting, post production, framing, colour grading and getting all the cast. ‘Since it’s a visual medium, you just have a few seconds to give out the information’

Ali Ashraf is a singer/songwriter from Islamabad with two album releases and multiple singles. Also working on his third album along with an electronic EP, the notion of music to him is beyond genres or any restrictions. It’s a mythical divinity that flows through the instrument and manifests in spoken word. A sources of oneness within.