Zia Ul Haq: We wanted a soulful azaan for Sufiyum Sujatayum

The music of Sufiyum Sujatayum was one of the highlights of Jayasurya and Aditi Rao Hydari-starrer and 33-year-old singer Zia Ul Haq had a major role to play in it. The singer’s azaan portions in the movie were much lauded for its unique style.
Zia, who had sung tracks such as O Rabba in Godha and Ya Ilahi in BTech, says, “I had just finished recording the Maula Maula portions in Vathikkalu Vellaripraavu song in the movie when (its composer) M Jayachandran sir asked me if I can call azaan in the film.I said I can try especially because I sing tracks in Arabic too.”
The film’s director Shanavas Naranipuzha had shared a lot of references of the azaan calls in Middle Eastern and Central Asian countries, he says. “Shanavasikka wanted a traditional, soul-stirring style like the azaan in places such as Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem. This style has been rendered by a lot of artistes including musicians Mehdi Yarrahi and Dil Hidaya,” explains Zia.
They also added portions that weren’t in the traditional version of these places. “In the movie, it’s a morning azaan and so we also included the portion Assalatu Khairum Minan Naum. I am delighted that all audiences have appreciated my rendering and I am still getting good feedback for it,” says Zia, adding that he’s grateful to both Jayachandran and Shanavas for choosing him for the portions.
While Zia has also sung tracks in Zafar, Lalbagh, Marakkar: Arabikadaline Simham and Higuita and recorded a Kannada track with AR Rahman’s sister AR Raihanah, he says he misses live performances now. “Be it floods or pandemic, people in the field of arts are adversely affected because stage shows all get cancelled. A lot of musicians including me earn our income through live performances. Now, we don’t have an answer for ‘What next?’ because the future is uncertain and we can’t predict when the pandemic would end,” he says.
The singer is part of a 10-member band called Hazrath Qawwali Group. “We haven’t seen each other for a while now. Till the lockdown, we were busy with shows but now we are all at our houses with no other option. But I am praying things get back to normal soon,” he concludes.