BEYGAIRAT BRIGADE- An Epic Success

BEYGAIRAT BRIGADE –PAKISTAN

When I say Sachin Tendulkar or Amitabh bachchan is a Brand in itself most of you will agree with me. Sometimes the artists, cultural groups or reference groups plays an important role in shaping or influencing our opinions , beliefs and sometimes giving the much needed voice to the society. Today I am going to talk about one such influential group from Pakistan ‘The Political Rock band’ “BEYGAIRAT BRIGADE”. It is a Lahore based band which came into existence in 2011, what made this band so talked about was their first satirical  song “Aalu Andey” which was released online in October 2011 and went viral within hours of its release and got 84000 likes in two days from within Pakistan , with all the media people rushing to get the  young members of this band on board to interview them. The band's lead vocalist is Ali Aftab Saeed with  Hashir Ibrahim, Daniyal Malik and Hamza Malik as other members.

Now what made “ Aloo Andey” such an instant hit was its unsparing lampooning of pakistan’s top politicians and generals from Ashfaq kayani to Zia-ul- Haq and from Nawaz Sharif to Imran Khan and direct reference to contentious issues like Azmal kasab, Killing of Salmaan Taseer (Governor) by his own guard Qadri, reference to Abdul Aziz Ghazi’s escape in veil from Lal Masij in 2007 during siege. Honestly speaking, I myself was awestruck by so direct reference to such influential people in the video and it requires a lot of courage. But these youths from Lahore raised the issues Pakistan faces related to  its politics, corruption, military in a humorous way and became an instant hit online with even  local media playing it repeatedly over television.

The band itself was surprised by the huge success that the song got in such a short span of time. According to them its the silent voice of people which is coming out against the small minority of extremists. Raising a voice in Pakistan against the military, religion or political establishment can have serious repercussions, the incidents of killing of Prominent rights activist Sabeen Mahmud shortly after hosting an event on people missing in Balochistan at her Karachi café and shooting at  Malala Yousafzai for standing for human rights and girls education are still afresh in our minds. But such fears could not stop this brave & determined Band from releasing their song. The placard at the end of the video which reads “If you want a bullet through my head ‘ Like this Video’” is self explanatory of the fears in the mind of people.

Undettered by the “ Friendly advices”  they received after release of their first video, this three  member band went forward and released other two singles “Sab Paisey Ki Game Hai” in February 2013 criticizing people’s obsession with money & reference to political scams in the name of sovereignity, security and safety. The Band’s another single “ Dhinak Dhinak” was released in May 2013 which criticized the Military’s indirect influence on politics- again something controversial. But the video was not taken in the good taste and was blocked from the video sharing site Vimeo. You might be thinking what about You Tube? Ohh I forgot to mention it was lying blocked since September 2012 over its hosting of the “Innocence of Muslims”, a movie that sparked furious protests around the world. Despite the hurdles the songs of “Beygairat Brigade” went viral and were played in local media.

 The success story of “ Beygairat Brigade” shows how the silent voices of the society find ways to express them when things get intolerable. Our society needs many more youths like Ali Aftab who are fearless and determined. SALUTE to the spirit of all the Band members of “ Beygairat Brigade” You are true heroes, keep up with your work and raise your voice. Stay Happy and Stay safe!! RESPECT

Do Watch  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=znGyNuF_KMU