Ali Zafar revives 2002 thesis painting in AI-driven video

Singer, actor and visual artist Ali Zafar has released a visually striking music video for his song ‘Shiddat’ from the album ‘Roshni’, transforming one of his original paintings from 2002 into a cinematic AI-generated experience.

The artwork, created during his thesis year at National College of Arts, forms the emotional and visual foundation of the video. Directed by Fawaz Rehan and Ayelah Asim, the project uses artificial intelligence virtual production to animate the painted world, blending fine art with music and digital storytelling.

The video explores themes of love, longing, memory and emotional isolation, placing viewers inside what appears to be a surreal moving canvas. Every frame was generated using AI technology while attempting to preserve the original texture and mood of the decades-old painting.

Speaking about the project, Ali Zafar said art remained “sacred” because it constantly changed meaning over time, depending on personal growth and interpretation. He explained that the painting behind ‘Shiddat’ was created during his years as a fine arts student, long before he entered mainstream music and film.

According to Zafar, the idea of stepping inside the world of that painting immediately intrigued him when the directors approached him with the concept. “What you see in this video is their interpretation of that piece of art, merged with one of the most intense songs from my album ‘Roshni’,” he said.

The release marks one of the most ambitious visual projects of Ali Zafar’s career, reconnecting his parallel identities as painter, musician and storyteller while reflecting the growing influence of AI tools in contemporary art and music production.