India's Arjun Mathur remembers 'Overload' frontman Farhad Humayun in heartfelt note
June 10, 2021
Indian actor Arjun Mathur gave an insight into his heartfelt memories with Farhad Humayun, in an emotional note he posted recently.
The Overload frontman, who passed away on Tuesday, was a close pal of Mathur who recalled him as his 'own reflection from across the border.'
In a tribute to Humayun, Mathur penned, "What does one say about a comet? Or a shooting star? My first memories of Farhad Humayun, or ‘Fadi’, as I knew him, are from when I was just a toddler and my parents’ best-friends -Shahzad Uncle and Nivi Aunty – visited from Pakistan. As a kid, when our family visited them in Lahore, I remember the largest Aloo-Parathas I had ever seen, at their home.. and the best post-swim chicken sandwiches at Lahore Gymkhana."
He continued, "As we grew up, Fadi and I, both turned out to be the ‘artists’ in our respective families. I saw him as my own reflection from across the border (so much so that we even had our weddings around the same time and were getting divorced from our short and brief marriages around the same time).
"Fadi became a musician - a drummer par excellence, to be precise - and formed a fusion Pakistani rock band called ‘Overload’ that pounded hearts with their drum and traditional dhol beats and shredded heartstrings with their electric guitars and Fadi’s golden voice.
"I watched him rise from strength to strength. He became a bonafide rockstar in Pakistan. As tensions between our countries grew and the mutual visits became less frequent due to bureaucratic and political processes, I saw him more on posters, in music-videos and on Coke-Studio, than I would in real life.
Ending the post on a gut-wrenching note, Mathur wrote, “I will miss you a lot, Fadi. I will miss your unmatched tehzeeb and the calming sweetness in your voice. More than anything, I will long to hear you call me ‘Pyaraay!’ Again. And I pray that the only words that come to you as you reach the final destination, are characteristically your own – ‘HAAN YAAR! BAHUT AALA!’”
