Sukoon by Hassan & Roshaan with Coke Studio-famed Shae Gill is a song about finding peace in solitude. However, the ‘moral brigade’ did not see it that way and misinterpreted the music video as ‘highly inappropriate’.
Director Saad Yratta spoke exclusively to Lens about his vision behind the concept for Sukoon, and said,
My intention was to create a visual which could manifest the title ‘sukoon’. A goldfish, in isolation, and Shae the observer, the siren. It’s the ultimate metaphor for a beautifully isolated life; a goldfish in a bowl.
Shot by Yratta Media, produced by Nael Hafeez with Suman Ayoub Yratta, and composed by Hassan and Roshan, Sukoon is a visualization of what the director imagined the song; a song of peace, solitude, and longing. The peaceful melancholic nature of the track evokes a sense of loneliness and prettiness that is symbolized through a goldfish, portrayed by model Altish Yousaf.
The concept was manifested by the genius of ace designer, Fahad Hussayn, who also styled and costumed The Legend of Maula Jatt, alongside the input of the creative agency, Saaish. The anthropomorphic goldfish is a creature of solitude.
While discussing the particular sequence between Altish Yousaf and Shae Gill, Saad Yratta stated,
What is more beautiful, and lonelier than a goldfish, in a bowl? Alone, and unbothered until the occasional observer admires its beauty and causes a lapse in the peace.
The peaceful turbulence of Roshaan Sherwani’s composition, combined with the siren-like vocals of Shae Gill, and the counterbalance of Hassan Sheikh’s serene voice evoke a range of emotions that lies at the intersection of peace, solitude, and longing.
The expansive, scenic, and vibrant visuals and narrative are open-ended, and thus open to interpretations that the viewers may draw. Like all art, this too, by consequence, has become part of other ongoing social conversations.
However, from the director’s perspective, it is a scenic observation of people’s collectively pretty, and lonely natures.
Saad Yratta
Saad Yratta concluded,
The great thing about art is, that in the mainstream it becomes reflective of ongoing social conversations, regardless of the open-ended nature of the visual.