FC Song of the Day: ‘Mask Kho Gaya’ by Vishal Bhardwaj

In FC Song of the Day, we pick a new film song that deserves your attention 

Song: Mask Kho Gaya

Composer: Vishal Bhardwaj

Lyrics: Vishal Bhardwaj

Singer: Vishal Dadlani

Homegrown animated music videos are not a new thing, but there has been a marked rise in their numbers in the past few months, especially after the Covid 19 pandemic has made life and work difficult in different ways—for example, Arijit Singh's Rihaa and Khatija Rahman's Farishton. It's easy to see why. One, animation work can be done completely remotely, and two, you can show things you can't in live action. 

Mask Kho Gaya, the new song written and composed by Vishal Bhardwaj, shows political leaders from around the world—Donald Trump, Narendra Modi, Imran Khan, Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-yun among others—blowing their own trumpets, and by doing so, probably spreading the Coronavirus too. Arnab Goswami is after a man to give him a hug. The migrant issue comes up in the next stanza. The opening lines, translated from Hindi, go something like this: I lost my mask in my dream, and someone who is very angry with me is coming to hug me. 

The visuals don't state the obvious but add to the lyrics, and unlike a lot of music videos, this song is better seen than listened. The trumpets are there for a reason. It's one of the instruments of the song–a jazzy number with a big band ensemble, sung with a hint of irony by Vishal Dadlani. The eye-catching video is directed by animation duo Bob and Bobby.