Sitting in his studios, back in the early 2000s, I was laid back in a sofa, talking excitedly with Hadiqa Kiyani, one of my favourite young singers. While we discussed Deekoo’s songs, Ahsan Raheem and Amna Khan, a really talented pair, were probably mixing her latest song’s video. Ahsan later showed me some of those shots. That number was to be one of Hadiqa’s most popular and iconic hits.

Yep! Dupatta mera malmal da is still top of the list of all-time-great Pak hits. Everybody agreed that at a time when our music videos smelled of old tar and zinc plates, Ahsan Raheem had produced a video that made the Pakistanis attest with pride that Dupatta was one of our most high-tech works.

The only thing I have against Ahsan is that he has been too slow to reach his real manzil i.e. Teefa in Trouble. He should have come up with a cinematic work much earlier. In Ali Zafar’s starrer, Ahsan proves that this is the kind of commercial movie that the Naya Pakistan and the Naya Pak cinema should be presenting to the world now. If the only fun we have in a film is its domestic drama, then very soon we’ll all run out of mirth! Technology, Special FX, sound processing, recording quality, musical geetmala, everything pushes a film to the top.

Back in the early days, Ahsan was a part of a nerdy, yet message-oriented music band called Dr Aur Billa. Can’t forget their superb anti-pollution anthem, Jeene do bhai jeene do. It still doesn’t fail to tickle me. Later, in the docks, with his hands full, Ahsan came up with a launching pad for Shariq Rumi, with an album called Fikr na faqa, aish kar kaka. Hmmm, a typical globalisation message! I must admit, that particular song was really hilarious. But, Shariq wasn’t serious about his music career, so bad luck! In my opinion, those wasted efforts pegged him back. So, now, it’s nice to see him touch real caliber with Teefa in Trouble. And he indicates there’s Part II in the offing!