MUMBAI: This Republic Day in a strong message for peace and non-violence, Salim Merchant has lent his voice for a soulful song titled ‘Befizool’ for Gorilla Shorts’ the film ‘The Sniper’. Aptly, the song and the film are released on Republic Day on Gorilla Shorts’ YouTube Channel.

‘Befizool’ has been composed by Sid Paul and its thought-provoking lyrics has been penned down by Charan Singh. The music video for the song and the film has been directed by Ambar Chakravarty, of ‘Love Handles’ and ‘Offbeats Season 1’ fame.

The beautiful lyrics and the soulful melody really makes you question the need for unnecessary bloodshed, terrorism and war in the world today. It’s a tribute to our soldiers who stand guard at our borders facing death every day in the harshest of condition. Without the constant threat of terrorism and war, we could all live at peace with each other and focus on real issues like poverty, health and the environment which affects all of humanity at large.

‘Befizool’ is the theme song for the short film ‘The Sniper’, directed by Ambar Chakravarty. The Sniper is a story of two soldiers, a sniper and his spotter, who find themselves caught in a huge moral dilemma in the middle of a war. The short film is full of suspense and twists and a very unexpected ending that forces you to think about war and our own biases.

Salim Merchant speaking about the song has said, “I found the song, the concept and the composition by Sid Paul very emotional and reflective of my own feelings about non-violence and peace. This song is my tribute to our nation's values, our soldiers and our desire for peace. Happy Republic Day, everyone!”

While Ambar Chakravarty, the director of the film ‘The Sniper’, says, “It’s a beautiful and soulful song that will touch everybody’s heart and will deliver a very positive message about peace and the futility of bloodshed.”

The song released on the 26th of January (Republic Day) along with the film. The film is released under Offbeats Season 1 which has previously showcased hit short films like 'Station Master- Phool Kumar'(Namit Das) 'Chaddi'(Flora Saini) and 'Solo'(Nargis Nandal)