Ehtesaab
Encyclopedia
"Ehtesaab" is the second track on the 1995 compilation album Kashmakash
by the sufi rock
band Junoon, and is the second single from the album. After the release of the band's first real big hit single "Jazba-e-Junoon
", which was the song of the 1996 Cricket World Cup
. "Ehtesaab" was their second hit and was released in December 1996. The video of the single was directed by Pakistani director, Shoaib Mansoor
.
The controversial video release of the song mocked Pakistani politics and lead to the video of the song being banned from PTV
, Pakistan's State television. The video of the single also featured in BBC
film The Princess and the Playboy, an expose on Benazir's and her husband's reign. In Newsweek
, Carla Power dedicated a full-page story to Junoon with the headline "For God and Country."
i political elite, and especially of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto
. The government quickly responded to it and banned the song and video from the state television.
In 1997, Junoon went on their first Indian tour. The band's first concert was held in New Delhi
, India
. After travelling throughout the country, Junoon saw crowds of as many as of 50,000 fans at different venues. The band was courted for a controversy during their tour to India by the Pakistani government. The Indian government was testing nuclear devices at that time, and Salman Ahmad
suggested that the Indian and Pakistani leaders should spend more on education and health and less on weapons. This led to a prolonged ban on Junoon's music by the Pakistani government. PTV
, the Pakistan state television, refused to show the audience even clips from Junoon releases. The Ministry of Culture charged Junoon with making comments in India amounting to sedition and treason. The band members denied these charges reminding people of the fact that they had been victimised since the release of "Ehtesaab" because they chose to speak out against political corruption.
Additional musicians
Kashmakash
-Personnel:All information is taken from the CD.Junoon*Salman Ahmad - vocals, lead guitar*Ali Azmat - vocals, backing vocals*Brian O'Connell - bass guitar, backing vocalsAdditional musicians*Female vocals on "Jogia" by Fifi Haroon...
by the sufi rock
Sufi rock
Sufi rock is a subgenre of rock music that combines rock with classical sufi music traditions. It emerged in the early 1990s and became widely popular in the late 1990s in Pakistan. The term "sufi rock" was coined in 1993 by writer Nadeem F...
band Junoon, and is the second single from the album. After the release of the band's first real big hit single "Jazba-e-Junoon
Jazba-e-Junoon
"Jazba-e-Junoon" is a song by the Pakistani sufi rock band Junoon. It is the thirteenth and final track from the band's album third album, Inquilaab , released on EMI Records...
", which was the song of the 1996 Cricket World Cup
1996 Cricket World Cup
The 1996 Cricket World Cup, also called the Wills World Cup after its official sponsors, was the sixth edition of the tournament organized by the International Cricket Council . It was the second World Cup to be hosted by Pakistan and India, and for the first time by Sri Lanka...
. "Ehtesaab" was their second hit and was released in December 1996. The video of the single was directed by Pakistani director, Shoaib Mansoor
Shoaib Mansoor
Shoaib Mansoor , PP, SI, is an acclaimed Pakistani film and television producer, director, writer, lyricist and composer.-Career:...
.
The controversial video release of the song mocked Pakistani politics and lead to the video of the song being banned from PTV
Pakistan Television Corporation
The Pakistan Television Corporation is Pakistan's national television broadcaster. The first live transmission of PTV began on November 26, 1964, in Lahore...
, Pakistan's State television. The video of the single also featured in BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
film The Princess and the Playboy, an expose on Benazir's and her husband's reign. In Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, Carla Power dedicated a full-page story to Junoon with the headline "For God and Country."
Music video
The blunt, hard-hitting "Ehtesaab" video shows Pakistani children working backbreaking menial jobs, juxtaposed with fictional politicians gorging themselves at five-star hotels. It also includes a scene in which a horse is dining at a luxury hotel (a deliberated reference to polo ponies kept by Asif Zardari). Those mares ate better than many of Pakistan's poor. In air conditioned stables, no less.Controversies
Junoon were courted for the controversial video release of the single which included footage of a polo pony eating in a posh restaurant by the Pakistani government. Many thought that the image was an indictment of the corrupt PakistanPakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
i political elite, and especially of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto
Benazir Bhutto was a democratic socialist who served as the 11th Prime Minister of Pakistan in two non-consecutive terms from 1988 until 1990 and 1993 until 1996....
. The government quickly responded to it and banned the song and video from the state television.
In 1997, Junoon went on their first Indian tour. The band's first concert was held in New Delhi
New Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. After travelling throughout the country, Junoon saw crowds of as many as of 50,000 fans at different venues. The band was courted for a controversy during their tour to India by the Pakistani government. The Indian government was testing nuclear devices at that time, and Salman Ahmad
Salman Ahmad
Salman Ahmad is a Pakistani musician and former actor, who used to be a member of Vital Signs but left after their debut album due to creative differences. He went on to form Junoon, South Asia's biggest and longest-lasting rock band. While still enjoying the success of Junoon, he was involved in...
suggested that the Indian and Pakistani leaders should spend more on education and health and less on weapons. This led to a prolonged ban on Junoon's music by the Pakistani government. PTV
Pakistan Television Corporation
The Pakistan Television Corporation is Pakistan's national television broadcaster. The first live transmission of PTV began on November 26, 1964, in Lahore...
, the Pakistan state television, refused to show the audience even clips from Junoon releases. The Ministry of Culture charged Junoon with making comments in India amounting to sedition and treason. The band members denied these charges reminding people of the fact that they had been victimised since the release of "Ehtesaab" because they chose to speak out against political corruption.
Track listing
EhtesaabPersonnel
Junoon- Ali AzmatAli AzmatAli Azmat is a Ali Azmat is a...
- lead vocals, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - Salman AhmadSalman AhmadSalman Ahmad is a Pakistani musician and former actor, who used to be a member of Vital Signs but left after their debut album due to creative differences. He went on to form Junoon, South Asia's biggest and longest-lasting rock band. While still enjoying the success of Junoon, he was involved in...
- backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
, lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure... - Brian O'ConnellBrian O'Connell (musician)Brian O'Connell is an American multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger, record producer and actor. Best known as the bassist and producer for Pakistani sufi rock band Junoon, O'Connell has since gained respect as both a musician and a producer in the Pakistani music industry. O'Connell and Salman...
- bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocalsBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...
Additional musicians
- Backing vocals by Najam SherazNajam SherazNajam Sheraz is a Pakistani pop singer, musician, composer and comedy actor. He is most prolific singer; indeed he is a household name in Pakistan. Many of his songs have become anthems all over the world. His latest album, eight in his career, "Najam" has been released recently both in India and...
Published sources
- Salman AhmadSalman AhmadSalman Ahmad is a Pakistani musician and former actor, who used to be a member of Vital Signs but left after their debut album due to creative differences. He went on to form Junoon, South Asia's biggest and longest-lasting rock band. While still enjoying the success of Junoon, he was involved in...
(2010), Rock & Roll Jihad: A Muslim Rock Star’s Revolution for PeaceRock & Roll Jihad: A Muslim Rock Star’s Revolution for PeaceRock & Roll Jihad: A Muslim Rock Star’s Revolution is a book written by Salman Ahmad, published on January 12, 2010 by Simon & Schuster. It is a biography of the author regarding his time with his rock band Junoon and all the struggle he faced to become a rockstar in Pakistan.On March 14, 2010,...
, Free Press. ISBN 978-1-4165-9767-4.