Waheed
Murad was an artist with lithe and supple movements. His movements were measured and he used his
movements of head, hands and feet in such a graceful manner that his overall
persona conveyed a poetic balletic expression.
His physical charms were related to the physical expressions that conveyed a lot about the man that he was and the art that he created which addressed to bring about the unity and homogeneity in the society.
This is the study of one of his famous songs from his own production Arman (1966) in which he has used the full range of the movements that was in his repertoire and this full spectrum of grace turned this song into a unique visual classic of Pakistan cinema.
Akeley na jana is one song that has seven distinctive movements, a symphony of movements that define a cycle of seeking and discovering :
His physical charms were related to the physical expressions that conveyed a lot about the man that he was and the art that he created which addressed to bring about the unity and homogeneity in the society.
This is the study of one of his famous songs from his own production Arman (1966) in which he has used the full range of the movements that was in his repertoire and this full spectrum of grace turned this song into a unique visual classic of Pakistan cinema.
Akeley na jana is one song that has seven distinctive movements, a symphony of movements that define a cycle of seeking and discovering :
Movement
ONE-Search :
The song starts with lover's hand clasped behind back it shown an apprehension
of starting a search, but then he moves forward with one hand moving towards
the beloved and when he finds a tree trunk he rests his elbow on the trunk that
defines nature's help, then tilt his head to show that he is pondering while
thumb rub against his finger tips in pin rolling manner a sign of an anticipation,
so the search is initiated.
Movement
TWO-Love:
The next movement is when he takes and hold hand of the beloved which is the
only occasion in the song when the lover and the beloved touch each other, this
touch of hands conveys that search found the beloved and love manifests.
The setting of next movement is astonishing, one
sees the trunks of four trees visibly standing in close proximity a sign of
natural balance of universe- the four dimensions, length, breadth, depth and
time. The lover moves from the second tree to the third put his elbow on trunk
and back of his head rests on his palm a gesture showing understanding.
Movement
FOUR-Detachment:The move
carries forward but in a very subtle manner the fourth trunk which should have
featured next in this move is bypassed
and the lover following the beloved detach himself from this natural support
and swings forwards while holding a
pillar of a patio, this gesticulation
shows detachment as natural support is forfeited.
Movement
FIVE-Unity:
Then he bows his head and puts one hand on the chest as the mark of submission
to the beloved, the dichotomy ends and unity takes place.
Movement
SIX-Wonderment:
One hand on the hip in a teapot position while the other placed on stem shows that
he is hanging in between outer and inner awareness of space and time and this
move very eloquently suggests wonderment.
Movement
SEVEN-Nothingness:
The song ends on the final gesture when he turns his back on the beloved whom
he was following in the whole song, and now it is the time for beloved to turn
around and follow him, the song ends on this beautiful sequence as the lover
who turned his back on the beloved senses her following he moves his head
slightly sideways to have a glance backward and this moment freezes as if he
turns into stone on looking back this paraphrases nothingness.