Pakistani-Indian music label plans joint release every month

Pakistani singer Atif Aslam and actress Sajal Aly collaborate for 'Rafta Rafta,' the latest song by Pakistani-Indian label Tarish Music released on July 21. (Photo courtesy: Tarish Music/YouTube)
Short Url
Updated 26 July 2021
Follow

Pakistani-Indian music label plans joint release every month

  • Tarish Music formed this year to bring together subcontinental artists
  • Latest track featuring stars Atif Aslam and Sajal Aly crossed 2.4 million views since release

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani-Indian music label behind Atif Aslam’s most recent hit said it is planning to release collaborations every month bringing together artists from Pakistan and India — two neighboring countries that have been locked in enmity for the past seven decades.

While relations between Pakistan and India have been tense since the partition of the British-ruled subcontinent into Muslim Pakistan and majority Hindu India in 1947, the independent music record label, Tarish Music, seeks to create a bridge between them by bringing together artists from both countries.

The label was established earlier this year by producers Omer Ahmad and Tarun Chaudhary.

“The plan is to release 12 songs a year with six singers from India and six from Pakistan,” the label's Pakistani co-owner, Ahmed, said in a recent interview. “We’ll release a song every month.”

Their latest track, “Rafta Rafta,” which features Pakistani stars — singer Aslam and actress Sajal Aly — was released on Wednesday on Eid Al-Adha.

Shot in Pakistan’s scenic mountainous northern region of Gilgit-Baltistan, “Rafta Rafta” was written by Indian singer and songwriter Raj Ranjodh and Pakistani director Hassam Baloch.

Having crossed 1 million views on the day of release, the song has now been listened to more than 2.4 million times on YouTube and is now the platform’s third top trending piece.

“It was an amazing experience working with Atif Aslam, everyone knows how loved he is in the subcontinent,” Ahmad said. “In terms of music, he always comes up with something fresh, innovative and different. His vocal skills are on another level.”

“It has been a truly delightful experience overall.”


Saudi-backed ‘Voice of Hind Rajab’ nominated for BAFTA Awards

Updated 28 January 2026
Follow

Saudi-backed ‘Voice of Hind Rajab’ nominated for BAFTA Awards

  • Kingdom’s Red Sea Fund ‘proud’ at nomination

DUBAI: The film, “The Voice of Hind Rajab,” inspired by the final moments of a 6-year-old Palestinian girl killed by the Israel army, has been nominated in the Best Film Not in the English Language category at the 2026 BAFTA Awards.

Directed by Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania, the film — backed by Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea Fund — tells the story of Hind Rajab who was fleeing the Israeli military in Gaza City with six relatives last year when their car came under fire.

Her desperate calls recorded with the Red Crescent rescue service caused international outrage against Israel.

Following the BAFTA nomination announcement, the Red Sea Film Foundation took to Instagram to state that they were “proud” to have the film nominated.

“The nomination reflects the strength of the creative vision behind the film and the commitment of the team who brought it to life. We’re honored to have supported this work and to see it celebrated among the year’s most distinguished international films.”

In the same category, “It Was Just an Accident,” directed by Jafar Panahi, also nabbed a nomination.

The Cannes Palme d’Or-winning political thriller focuses on a former prisoner who kidnaps the man he believes tortured him and grapples with fellow dissidents over whether to exact revenge or offer forgiveness.