Written by: Haroon Shuaib
Posted on: November 01, 2023 | 
| 中文
Bilal Maqsood with a puppet
Bilal Maqsood is a musical mastermind with an illustrious career spanning over three decades. He not only gathered accolades as one of the 2-members of ‘Strings’, a leading music band of the country, but also as producer of seasons 7 to 10 of ‘Coke Studio’, Pakistani version of an international music franchise featuring studio-recorded performances. Bilal and his band-mate, Faisal Kapadia, produced some of the most memorable songs of Coke Studio with established and emerging artists. When in March 2021, Bilal and Faisal announced conclusion of ‘Strings’ after 33 years and 6 albums, their fans were left heartbroken but also knew that both were not going to be away from their individual creative pursuits for long. While Faisal went on to pursue his solo career as a singer; Bilal has been busy singing, composing and songwriting, directing music videos and painting.
Bilal Maqsood
Son of popular writer, actor, artist, TV host and comedian Anwar Maqsood, Bilal is a graduate of Indus Valley School of Art & Architecture, Karachi. In September 2023, Bilal Maqsood launched his latest creative venture Pakkay Dost (Firm Friends), a puppet series based around songs, lovable characters and engaging learning experiences for children and their families. Pakkay Dost is the realization of his earlier work, including an eight-track album catering to children’s nursery rhymes followed by a book. Good edutainment content for children in Urdu language employing local contexts and references, has been missing in Pakistan for a long time. Since its release on an exclusive YouTube channel, Pakkay Dost, a series loosely designed on the model of globally recognized Sesame Street, is proving to be a new chapter in children-centric content in Pakistan. The need for high-quality and a sensible children's show, particularly one designed to nurture children during their most crucial developmental years, is more acute than ever.
The cast of Pakkay Dost
Consumption of content on digital platforms is inescapable, and while adults can make choices on what to watch and what not to watch, children are neither capable of making that choice themselves, nor are can they be denied exposure to online content completely. Caregivers of children such as parents and teachers are usually at a loss when looking for content that is at par with international standards, but is also in line with the social and cultural norms of Pakistan. Reliance on foreign content for children can lead to confusion in young minds and a loss of identity. Risk of children getting exposed to age-inappropriate content and language barriers, and distortions for a vast majority of children consuming English or Hindi content further exasperates the situation. Thankfully, now we have Pakkay Dost, a well-crafted show that has the potential to serve as a catalyst for children in Pakistan to grasp their culture, language, social etiquettes, social skills, and various other areas that parents might find challenging to convey through traditional methods. Talking about Pakkay Dost, Bilal Maqsood says, “Many people from my generation cannot overlook the significance of Sohail Rana’s songs in our upbringing. I have always aspired to create something similar, and recognized a pressing need to do so at this unique juncture: contemporary Pakistani children have limited access to quality Urdu content that resonates with their experiences, leading them to consume content from other regions, primarily in English or Hindi. This trend unfortunately results in a disconnection of Pakistani children from their own reality. Therefore, my intention was to generate locally relevant content in Urdu, content that could cater to both residents of Pakistan and those living abroad, where children are seeking a meaningful connection to their homeland.”
Puppets of Pakkay Dost
Pakkay Dost introduces a diverse and endearing ensemble of characters through catchy songs and skits. Delving into themes such as friendship, responsibility, hygiene, honesty and managing complex emotions in a manner that is both universal and rooted in local context, Pakkay Dost, created and produced by Bilal Maqsood has been directed by Umer Adil. Bilal who has also written the scripts and composed the songs, engaged Allison Ewert from Saskatchewan, Canada to make the puppets. The concept is conceived with the basic need to resonate with children and also fun to watch. This resulted in the creation of a cute red furry puppet Lal Baig (Cockroach), and equally loveable Bajjo, Mateen, Miraal and Tufail. Allison Ewert, part engineer, part artist, spends her days stitching together furry monsters and aliens, affectionately refining each puppet. A mother of three, Allison began making puppets about a decade ago as a creative outlet and loved it so much that she eventually launched her own brand: Very Happy Puppets. Bilal first reached out to her in November 2021. "Puppets are a really safe space so you can teach children things in a goofy way, or approach certain topics that are maybe a bit tricky, and it's not like they're talking to an adult or someone behind a puppet. They're talking to a puppet," Allison said.
Allison Ewert
For the director of Pakkay Dost, Umer Adil, runs a production house in Karachi, Pakistan. He normally directs documentaries, feature films and television commercials, but this was a perfect chance to combine his passion for Jim Henson's The Muppet Show, of which he has always been a fan, and his love for the Urdu language. Adil said, "The Urdu language is not evolving as much as it should have. The kids these days, my children, are not that well-versed in the language like we used to be, because they're exposed to the Internet and globalization. We wanted to do the classic way of puppetry, where everything is shot live, all the songs are recorded live and the people who are the voices are also the puppeteers so there was not much dubbing in it". Adil, who is a father of three, is also the voice for Mateen. "It's not that those puppets are very Pakistani to look at, but they sound Pakistani, they're speaking in Urdu, their jokes are local," he adds. Calling it a special project, Bilal Maqsood realized the need for such locally produced content in Urdu after his son Mikail, now 26, was born. “I realized that we don’t have Urdu poems. Our children listen to English poems instead of Urdu songs. Making children’s songs is a science. I asked my friend in Lahore to keep the music of these songs western. I was resolute that we should not compromise at all on the show’s look. Kids these days have a lot of options. If a show doesn’t appeal to them or they don’t understand it, they will quickly switch to something else”, Bilal said. Some of the songs of Pakkay Dost include Baray mian gaye Cheen (The old man went to China), Aik do teen chaar (One, two, three, four), Aankhain band karloon (Shall I close my eyes?), and Brush karna (Brushing one’s teeth). Ahsan Pervaiz Mehdi has done the music arrangements and Beenish Umer has the credit for Art Direction of Pakkay Dost. Each episode has a runtime of just under 15 minutes, making it ideal for streamlining and consumption by children. It also helps characters to grow on the target audience, and increase children’s vocabulary, social skills, ethics and an understanding and appreciation of the world around them. In the first episode, puppet characters Mateen and Miraal are introduced as they try to fix a broken umbrella, because dark clouds in the skies are a sign of looming rain. Miraal suggests to an anxious Mateen that they go out in the rain without an umbrella, and how the real joy of rain is in experiencing it without a shield. Finally, Mateen and Miraal step out and sing a delightful song while enjoying the rain freely as children often love to do everywhere in the world. “Jab halki halki bondain, banjain dhara, Chatriyan nikalo, uska hay ishara, Jab chatri na ho tou, zyada maza aata hay, Jab barish zyada aati hay tou pani zyada aata hay.” (When a drizzle turns into rain, it is time to take out your umbrellas, but if you don’t have an umbrella, you will enjoy yourself more).
A snap from the show Pakkay Dost
With the first set already out, Bilal and his team is busy planning another set of the series. In the meantime, its best to get your children to memorize the alphabets of Urdu with the help of all Pakkay Dost moppets as they sing ‘Huroof-e-Tahajji’ (Urdu alphabets). Sing along if you too need to refresh your Urdu language basics.
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