Tum Ho To is a song that will leave you feeling heartbroken, teary-eyed yet hopeful, all at the same time (and under 5 minutes!).
Tum Ho To is thought-provoking, hummable & a treat to watch! The song kicks off as a catchy guitar number, almost as if Shehzad Roy was seeking a beat, jamming late into the night – an inspiration to hit the right notes. And just like that, the story revealed itself wrapped in soft vocals. Raisa Raisani’s voice accompanies Shehzad’s, to render the lyrics a heart & soul. Although the narrative seems to be sponsored content – a collaborative effort of Systems Limited and Ali Institute of Education – the message resonates with a society whose youth seeks role models to help comprehend the changes they want to communicate to an old guard, yet find hard to explain in the simple terms that this under 5 minutes song has managed to accomplish beautifully.
Women have been breaking ground in the fields of medicine, engineering and technology in Pakistan, but for as many as have found a career, many sit home with academic qualifications that rest behind well-polished frames, as medals, only to be unshelved, shown off and dusted when the children become young adults to show them – look, your mom did this too! Tum Ho To will perhaps, show many young women that their laurels do not need to end after they graduate. Infact, this is just the beginning!
Tum Ho To also serves as a great message for brands that subtle and effective marketing of a project is possible if the makers invest genuine effort & keep a finger on the heart beat of their market – in this case, they hit right on the pulse! Both Shehzad Roy & Sajal Aly must be lauded for championing a message that we hope, reaches many hearts & homes to forge meaningful & positive change.
Moments That Resonated With Many!
Tum Ho To is breaking stereotypes in refreshing ways and must be lauded for echoing hamaray dil ki baat! Here are some moments that struck a chord for many!
Sajal’s character pays the restaurant bill as her husband (Shehzad Roy’s character) looks on & happily. He also preps dinner for her, that too with a smile – what a simple yet powerful way of invalidating our self proclaimed gender roles.
It must also be mentioned here that the song presents a woke narrative that women can work, even if they don’t need to, but want to, or dream to.
Sounds liberating? It shouldn’t be, but it is. Because it’s not done or thought of, often enough.
In a society where men are perceived as the sole breadwinners in a family, even if the wife holds a university degree, is the story in many, many ‘liberated’ households. Also, this ‘want’ might become a ‘need’ at some stage in a couple’s lives – if a spouse experiences financial or career problems or even health setbacks, so why leave it too late? And that’s not all, I bet the song will offer relief to the men too – carrying sole responsibility for a growing family often relegates the wife to a care-giver, a facilitator, a support cast, in a real life drama where she is actually capable of sharing the financial load. So why take that away from the man, or the woman?
A man is often buried under the burden of expectations to provide for his family, and a woman, of being judged or made to feel guilty if she tries to manage home and a career at the same time – why not let them do it together? In this case, the narrative clearly outlines the (broken) hopes and aspirations of a young girl who dreams of achieving career goals. Hence, if a spouse feels fulfilled on a personal front, he or she can also build a more wholesome relationship as a couple. And if she doesn’t feel fulfilled, oh well, Sajal mirrored the hopelessness of a flower that was about to wilt before its time – to put it dramatically, but actually, that is really how it is for many young women out there!
That’s not all, Tum Ho To must be noted for bringing in the man (and his journey) as someone who can throw himself wholeheartedly into supporting his wife at home. Pursuing a career outside the home, for many women, means juggling the household. Not here, say our hero and heroine as dinner preps are underway when the wife reaches home. And why not. If you want to send a message, send it all the way!
There’s so much more in Tum Ho To as it addresses our dual mindsets too where men are okay advising other women to take on a job and further their careers, but they might have a different set of rules at home. That one glance exchanged between Sajal & Shehzad said it all!
Mard job na karay to wajah poochtay hain, aurat job karay to wajah poochtay hain
Shehzad Roy
Wrap your head around that one!
A Note On The Lead Pair
Sajal Aly is looking absolutely stunning and working her work outfits to the tee. If anyone could emit working girl shades with as much swag, we’d say she’s nailed it! And if things couldn’t get any better, Shehzad Roy felt like a surprise in a package we weren’t expecting! This onscreen pairing has hit super right notes on every level – if fans don’t see them together in another project soon, the world would have lost some magic chemistry right there, and that would just be so unfair to an audience that roots for romance onscreen and knows when they’ve hit on a good thing!
Faisal Qureshi has spun a compelling story in under 5 minutes to convey a visual treat onscreen. From the opening aerial shots to lead us into the frames, Sajal waving goodbye to herself from the balcony, to depicting conflict through divided walls, halting the music ever so subtly to deliver choice dialogues – “baat sirf zaroorat ki nahi hai” to switching the narrtive around on its head, literally, and taking the viewer along with him – all this underscored by soothing lyrics and frames is absolutely lit!
A big shout out to team Tum Ho To for giving us a thought-provoking, hummable, uplifting watch! The song serves as a powerful wakeup call for all of us to walk the talk. Phrases like, “Tumhe job karne ki kya zaroorat hai” trivialise the dreams and aspirations of many young girls who study hard and achieve academic excellence only to be disheartened by this phrase.
We hope that youth icons like Sajal Aly & Shehzad Roy taking on such projects can help change mindsets amongst the youth by delivering couple goals onscreen & depicting a journey, especially for males, to involve the nearly 50 % female population in actively contributing towards the economy and leading towards a more progressive Pakistan!
Tum Ho To is a collaboration between Systems Limited and Ali Institution of Education. The music video has been directed by Faisal Qureshi and the song has been composed and produced by Shaani Haider, while the lyrics are written by Nadeem Asad.