India and Pakistan have always been at loggerheads with one another fighting over territory, sovereignty and respect from the international community. However they find themselves with something in common- a passion for rock. The growth and popularity of Pakistani rock coincided with the coming of rock in India. Bands like Junoon and Strings can be credited for the introduction of Pakistani rock or more popularly known as ‘Pakrock’.
Junoon arrived on the scene with a new breed of rock- one which combined the American rock of the west with the Sufi sounds of Pakistan and the combination proved to be a winning one with Pakrock taking the nation by storm and even finding a market in India. Junoon with their hit Sayonee resonated with the youth in India and soon collaborations started taking place with Hindi rock bands. Although Junoon primarily sings in Urdu they experimented by singing in Hindi and they were successful.
Strings, another Pakrock band also tasted success following close on the heels of their predecessors. They too won countless awards and were also considered a mainstream Hindi rock band after they sang the title song Zinda for the Hindi movie of the same name. With the release of their third album Durr in India, they soon realized that many people in India appreciated their music and so they aided in making this genre more popular.
A moment of great honour for them came when they were asked sing the title song for the Spiderman movie. Another milestone for them was when in 2004 they collaborated with Euphoria to perform for the Indo-Pak cricket series, the official anthem which was titled ‘Jeet Lo Dil’ was a huge hit and it won hearts in both India as well as Pakistan. Hindi and Pakistani rock found a common language- a passion for the same sound. The sense of a hostile enmity is forgotten as in both countries the language of music and the love for rock has prevailed over hatred.
For more information, please do visit: Hindi Rock and Strings