There has been a lot of incredible work over the years, in narrating stories with music. Within the span of a song, these have not only captured our attention, but have managed to stay with us, with the videos growing as important to us as the songs themselves. While I have come across several beautiful music videos, a handful have become personal favourites which I often return to. Here’s a short list of five of them.
Languages: Hindi/Urdu/English
Chandni Raat
Artist: Ali Sethi
Release Year: 2019
Every Ali Sethi music video is unfailingly beautiful, but Chandni Raat, to me, is an uncontested favourite. Exquisitely crafted by Sarmad Sultan Khoosat and Awais Gohar, the video speaks a lot without saying much. Almost a peek into life’s waiting room, it is perhaps an ode to an invisible string that binds us to one another, a bond that keeps the universe going, despite pain, struggle, differences, and separation. Completely discarding digital instruments and composing only with three hand-played ones, Sethi builds on Saifuddin Saif’s beautiful ghazal, with a few more lines added to it. The effect is haunting, poignant, and tremendously moving.
Ab Ke Sawan
Artist: Shubha Mudgal
Release Year: 1999
Brimming with nostalgia, Ab Ke Saawan is about monsoon, memories, and a dollop of madness. It is also about a Hindusthani classical singer going out of her way to sing something completely different, and creating magic. I love everything about the song and the video, and it is a staple moodlifter. Also, the story of its making, recollected by composer Shantanu Moitra in his book, ‘On The Wings of Music,’ never gets old – of Shubha Mudgal expressing her reluctance to shoot in the rain, but getting drenched by mistake, leading to director Pradeep Sarkar successfully getting the monsoon shots that he wanted!
Chain Se Humko Kabhi
Artist: Sourendro-Soumyojit
Release Year: 2017
An ode to first love, to lost love. Narrating a simple story, the video is warm and beautiful, and stays with us for a long time. Sourendro-Soumyojit, a musical duo from Bengal, have produced a lot of good music over the years, and their videos have always been made with care. At a time when a continuous flood of reprise versions of old classics on the internet have left us apprehensive of them, this cover of Asha Bhosle’s timeless song composed by O.P. Nayyar came as a breath of fresh air.
Watch here.
Gham Ka Khazaana
Artists: Jagjit Singh, Lata Mangeshkar
Release Date: 1991
I cannot really explain why I love it so much, but this video that I discovered randomly browsing through YouTube, accompanying Jagjit Singh and Lata Mangeshkar’s timeless ghazal from the album ‘Sajda’, is something I return to quite often. The storyline is predictable, but it is a reminder of lost time and all the love we leave behind.
Watch here.
When We Feel Young
Artist: When Chai Met Toast
Release Year: 2020
A recent favourite, this video from When Chai Met Toast released during the pandemic last year is a burst of warmth and hope. Brilliantly animated by Anjali Kamat, it makes us believe, atleast for a few bright minutes, that forever is indeed a possibility. This one’s among the handful of animated music videos we get to watch nowadays, promising us of more good work coming our way.
From the ind.igenous blog
