LAHORE – Asim Azhar is a household name after giving us various hits that we would love to call our most favourite tunes. He is out with another track called ‘Jo Tu Na Mila’.
We caught up with Asim for a quick chat about the song that features Iqra Aziz as well in its music video.
DP: ‘Jo Tu Na Milla’ is out and creating waves. How close is this song to you?
Asim: First of all, I am very happy and grateful for the amount of love and support that people have showered upon me from both India and Pakistan for Jo Tu Na Mila! The song is very close to me because I think this is the most amount of time I have spent on writing and producing a song. It took us 6 months to bring Jo Tu Na Mila to life and at the position it is now at so it is very dear to me as I have spent a lot of time with it. Every song for an artist is just like their baby and this is definitely very close to me.
DP: There is a common conception/misconception that you have to go through pain to depict that in your art. Is this the case?
Asim: I think that when I create my music my imagination does come into play. I have been writing music since I was 15 and right now I am 22, which I think is a very tender age. I don’t think you face a lot of serious issues even though at the time being they might seem a bit serious but I still think one may not experience what life has to offer at such an early stage. It can to some extent but not completely, so my imagination has always helped me write songs. However there is certain truth in that. If you have experienced heartbreak or pain firsthand then it definitely helps to write better and get the audience connected more to your art and lyrics.
DP: Iqra Aziz looks fantastic in the video and you two seem to share an amazing chemistry. What’s the secret?
Asim: You are absolutely right! Iqra Aziz has killed it in the video in every way starting from her performance to her looks, expressions and emotions. Since when we conceived the idea that we were going to do this song I knew that I really wanted to share screen space with Iqra Aziz. She is one of the most talented young girls out there and its just her talent that pulled us in and made us consider if she would be willing to work on Jo Tu Na Mila and she agreed. As an actor and a performer she gives everything to her scene without holding anything back and that’s what makes it easy to work with her and maybe that is the whole chemistry. Off set also we have a good friendship, we have a good sense of humour going in between us which is light and fun.
DP: How would you describe the whole process of shooting the music video?
Asim: The whole process required a lot of energy because we shot for 24 hours straight. The day before we had to shoot I had a huge meet and greet in Karachi and that ended at 8pm and my flight to Islamabad was at 9:30pm. The video shoot was in Lahore the next morning and the call time was 6 am and I had to fly to Islamabad because there was no flight available to Lahore from Karachi at the required time. So I landed in Islamabad at midnight and drove all the way to Lahore through the night and reached there around 5 am in the morning. I checked in at the hotel took a shower and headed straight for the location to shoot for the complete next 24 hours. With that being said I would really like to mention Yasir Jaswal and his team as they whole video came out they way it did only because of their hard work. They did excellent homework and groundwork and I have wanted to work with Yasir for a while and when this opportunity came it was great. My co actors Iqra, Waleed, the stylist Ehtesham Ansari and the whole team all kept boosting each other and pushed through to create this. It was tiring but so worth it!
DP: The song is intense, there are so many emotions in play. How comfortable you were while acting all these emotions out?
Asim: Yes the song is very intense and I feel that the character that I am portraying in the video is much more intense. I remember when Yasir visualized the idea and concept for the video and we were discussing it. I heard him out and then saw the whole storyboard and from the first day I knew that this character had a very thin line from getting sympathy from the crowd or coming out as psycho. The character is stalking the girl wherever she goes so that could have been considered very psychotic but I had to still keep the emotions of agony and pain intact with me at all times so the audience could relate. I am glad that it is happening that way because I was scared until I saw the video myself and had really hoped that it does not show up as something strange rather as something that we all have been through, where you start questioning yourself. I tried my best and Yasir being the director really helped me. He would explain all the retakes extremely well and that is why I was able to perform it like this.
DP: Artists have certain expectations from themselves and the work they produce. so is this music video dream comes true or work in progress?
Asim: I always believe in work in progress. Even the folder in my computer and studio that I record all my work in and save is called “Work In Progress” so that’s how much I believe in it. I feel that art has no ending and I think my biggest competition is with myself. I have to beat what I peaked last time so this is definitely work in progress but I am really happy with all the efforts the team at VYRL Originals, Universal Music India, Yasir and all the other have put in.
