5 questions with Mizmaar: "Won't work in a film without complete creative liberty"

Mizmaar is a rock band that defies expectations.

It's survived the slump in the music market without compromising its sound. Singers have come and gone, but the band goes strong. Its latest track 'Jogi' is another collaborative project with India, but it isn't with fellow rockers Euphoria, but classical singer Shubha Mudgal.

Images asks Mizmaar some questions.

1) Mizmaar has been big on Pak-Indian collaboration. You've collaborated with rock band Euphoria and now classical singer Shubha Mudgal. We understand that these are not only creative choices, but also the band's conscious attempt to bridge the Pak-India divide through music. How successful do you feel you've been? How did people respond to 'Jogi'?

Kashan Admani: The idea behind these collaborations is to send out the message that the people of both the countries are for peace and can co-exist without conflict. We are lucky to have found like-minded artists and friends across the border. We believe we have been able to spread the message quite successfully! You can see platforms like Coke Studio adapting our concept of cross border collaborations.

2) Mizmaar appears to be increasingly interested in fusion. Before 'Jogi', you released a mash-up cover of 'Nothing else matters/Teri Deewani'. Is the band going through a phase of experimentation?

Kashan: We have very diverse influences as a band and therefore we have chosen to reflect all styles and genres we like through our music. We don't want to limit ourselves to a particular type of sound. We just want to make interesting and appealing music.

3) You've had vocalists come and go in your line-up. How has that been for the band? Do you feel it's been a challenge to retain the essence of your sound?

Kashan: Mizmaar has always been more about the musicianship and different vocalists have given diversity to our sound which we feel is a positive thing. We feel our sound has become even more interesting.

"The idea behind [Pak-India] collaborations is to send out the message that people of both countries are for peace and can co-exist without conflict. We believe we have been able to spread the message quite successfully! You can see platforms like Coke Studio adapting our concept of cross border collaborations."

4) There's an appreciation for Pakistani music in Bollywood. Has the band been approached to contribute music for Indian cinema? What about making music for local films?

Kashan: We have not really tried getting our music into Bollywood films. As a band we don't want to compromise on our sound and that might be a challenge when working on music for Bollywood unless they want our kind of sound for their film. We would love to work for a local film but only in the case that we have complete creative liberty.

5) What are the band's future plans? What do you guys foresee in the future of Pakistani music?

Kashan: The best plan a band can have is to keep making music and that's what we intend to do. Keep making music. Pakistani music has survived the worst times so the future for it is certainly bright.