Video | Gurdas Maan's new album, Punjab, exposes the state's problems

Gurdas Maan won hearts with the song Dil da Mamla when just 23 way back in 1980. Old timers recall the city Rose Festival where the beloved Surinder Kaur was hooted out because the young wanted to hear the new heart-throb Maan. With the fine quality of songs he penned himself, a dance in his steps and a tambourine in his hands, he changed the face of popular Punjabi music. The legend lives on even at 60 in a daring title track of his album called Punjab, conceptualised and directed by his son Gurrick, which was released on Thursday in SAS Nagar.

The song, which touches on addiction, alienation, consumerism, pesticides, distorting history and much more, shows him playing Old Man Time literally flying over his land in the company of none other than martyr Bhagat Singh as a child. He has never done anything like this before and he gets away with it for Gurrick says it is designed for the youth and children inspiring them to bring about change. Sure enough, a three-year-old watching it in rapt attention said, ‘Yeh Superman hai, udhta hai!’

The other tracks in the album include songs on every mood the daughters and sons of Punjabi soil relish: Love, festivity, romance and religion. The release of the album follows in March.

Talking of the title song, Gurrick said, “Half my task was done when my father penned the amazing lyrics.” Asked why was this song not released before the elections, Maan Senior replied with his patent humility and goodness, “I did not want to hurt anyone or for that matter politicise the ills I feel so strongly about. I have received so much from Punjab and Punjabis that it is my responsibility to give a bit back.”

Interestingly, this song was completely shot outdoors at different locations in Punjab in just eight days and the singer performed all the risky stunts without body doubles. There were shots in which he was required to be suspended from a height of 120 feet in the air. Bravo Maan!

Just a word for Gurrick, who was being launched as visual director on Thursday with the release of the album’s title song; the media was kept waiting for nearly two hours. The technical flaws did not allow the song to be shown on the big screen and many crowded around the stage on which Gurrick sat with his father and mother Manjeet. Maan Senior’s goodwill just brought a murmur of complaints but greater care is needed in future by the debutant son.