Considering the cola conglomerate''s falling fortunes in the Muslim realms due to its alleged ties to Israel, what better way to work their ways into the warm hearts of Pakistanis then to use one of the country''s most popular groups as a cheerleading squad for the adored (when they''re not playing like day ladies) cricket team.

Crowds of curious onlookers, busloads of supporters from various schools, a gaggle of dancers, cast, crew, extras and plenty of lackeys - all this and the band even managed to shoot a little video. If ever Junoon was manifest on earth, this was it.

One''s thoughts immediately drifted towards Jazba-i-Junoon, the up and at ''em pride-fest that the band wrote for the ''96 Cup. But rather than cheer-lead for the lads in green (Strings, Najam Sheraz and everybody else and their mammoo as Salman Ahmad put it, are doing that, as well as the fact that the official sponsors of the team happen to be an equally massive rival cola cartel), Junoon has decided to dedicate this one to the fans, the real people behind Pakistan''s cricketing passion. Musically, the tune is definitely above average, and is what one expected from the band after six months'' dormancy. This is the same group of minds that, once upon a time, gave us such defining moments in Pakistani rock lore as Talaash, Ehtasaab and Khudi. It seems the creative juices are still there, but since Ishq, Junoon hasn''t manifested themselves of late (Garaj baras being a major exception). Not since Dharti kay khuda (the last great Junoon song) has the band produced anything to make listeners stop, shake it off and take notice.

But getting back to the video, it will be the required burst of energy needed to make them viable contenders in this country again. Directed by Jaleel Akhter with wife Marina Khan in tow, along with Arjumand Raheem handling the choreography, we witnessed the genesis of this production in various stages. There were the roaring fans. There were the dancers representing the various regions of Pakistan who boogied down during an special pitch invasion as the band played on in the middle of the pitch. Shehryar Ahmad, brother of Salman and band manager said there were around 1,200 students providing support to the group. There were even the colourful locals taunting the now Kojak-inspired Ali Azmat. It will surely be something to look forward to when this project comes to fruition on the 15th of February.

Post-shoot, we discussed with Salman Ahmad just what the biggest band of the country has been up to in its tenure away from the limelight. First off, there were the undeniable break-up rumours fuelled by the band''s inactivity in Pakistan. Salman refuted the claims of the naysayers and revealed that the band was very much together, alive and kicking, if in a state of change; a chrysalis that might manifest itself with the birth of a new Junoon for a new age.

"It has been 12 years now (since the band formed). People grow. Since the last 12 to 18 months, we felt we needed to grow more. We''ve got so much love from Pakistan. We''ve even been acknowledged by our peers, with people saying, ''here''s a band that were pioneers in developing a sound.'' About 12 months ago I felt I was in a rut. We hit a ceiling, and now, if we don''t do something to change our sound, to grow as musicians, then what''s the point in being in a band? We agreed to pursue music outside of Pakistan and spent eight months in America playing in colleges," revealed Salman.

Apart from staving off creative stagnation, the guitarist felt that the band could make inroads in changing the perceptions of common Americans as far as Muslims were concerned.

"The American community is in fear of Islam. ''Who are these Muslims?'' they ask. There is a lot of scrutiny taking place, so when they see a Pakistani rock band, it blows their mind because rock music is in the DNA of the American teenager. That''s what we want to explore. In Pakistan, we''ve given ourselves the freedom to express ourselves individually as well. I''m doing a solo project for Hiv/Aids, which could be musical or could be in a visual format. You don''t have to break up as a band, but you should have the freedom to do things on your own," Salman explained.

He mentions that the mediocre results of Ishq were due partly because of the band''s label pressuring them to sustain the sound they had created on Azaadi and maintained on Parvaaz. "There''s a lot more diversity and dynamics to Junoon, which wasn''t there on Ishq."

The band is also planning to disseminate their English language single No more (already freely available to inquisitive netizens) locally. While the concept might have been noble and the video, shot on a Manhattan rooftop post-Sept 11, was supposed to be in line with the worldwide show of grief for those grisly events, one felt that already, many telethons and tributes have gone out to the ''heroes'' of 9/11. Hadn''t the world mourned enough for America? 9/11s are faced day in and day out by countless thousands the world over, be it in the battered wastes of Khost, the rubble strewn streets of Gaza or the bloody vale of Kashmir. Didn''t scores of innocent civilians suffer similar September 11s throughout history courtesy the US war machine and its vassals? Hiroshima. Vietnam. The death squads of Salvador. The list goes on. Why, then, did a politically conscious Pakistani band with a voice opt to instead join the 9/11 bandwagon? Why wasn''t there a No more for the innocents of Uruzgan in Afghanistan?

"You probably haven''t seen our VH 1 documentary. That covered the whole aspect of it. In that documentary, I went to schools and colleges in Pakistan and interviewed girls asking them, ''What do you think of America?'' I addressed the Afghanistan issue in that film as well in a very clear way. This isn''t about us trying to merge with the American Establishment. We are a band that is multi-cultural and multi-religious. We can''t be completely Islamic because we have a bass player who''s Catholic and who grew up in New York! In everything I try to do, you have to take everyone along with you. No more was pointed to a western audience. They are comfortably numb. The idea of a Pakistani rock band blows their mind. We''re bursting that bubble," Salman claims.

Looking back on their arguably storied career, we asked if Salman still considered his band to be at the forefront of cutting edge Pakistani music.

"Without trying to be arrogant, Junoon right now signifies a force that is carrying the message that there needs to be harmony in this world. That''s been the philosophy right through. I think we''re a socially relevant force today. The new album will really articulate what I''m trying to say."

This eagerly awaited new album should hit stores by June, though knowing the notorious unpredictability of the band (remember the wait for Parvaaz?) anything can happen. Salman did, however, allude to the fact that this time round the album will have a much "darker" sound.

But for now, the band faces a smooth reentry back into Pakistani aerospace, with Maza zindagi ka the required element to place them in the proverbial camera''s eye.

"I''m passionate about cricket. It''s the fans'' passion that fuels this game. I''m a fan and this is a song from a fan," Salman Ahmed concludes in his finest rock man groove.