Ali Zafar arrived on the scene with the spanking music video of 'Channo'. The song with its mixture of Middle Eastern influences and bubblegum pop was an instant hit and lifted Ali Zafar to the top. Before Ali conquered the scene with 'Channo', he also made an appearance in the Abrar ul Haq video 'Preeto' and since then there's been no looking back for him. Ali followed up 'Channo' with fun, bouncy and captivating songs such as 'Rangeen' and 'Chal Dil Meray'. His debut album, Huqa Paani was one of the biggest hits of the year and won him a few awards. Ali Zafar's second album, Masty (2006) also did equally well with songs like 'Masty' and 'Sajania' but eventually lost at the Lux Style Awards to Atif Aslam's Doorie.

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In 2008, Ali Zafar appeared on the first season of Coke Studio and reinvented his most famous songs such as 'Channo' and 'Rangeen'. But it was Ali's rendition of 'Allah Hoo' with Saeen Tufail Ahmed that changed the game for Ali as a singer. It reinvented him as a musician and showed us another side of the versatile pop wonderboy. It was a powerful performance, one that Ali repeated next year on the second season of Coke Studio in '09. It was a radically different Ali Zafar who walked the sets of Coke Studio in 2009. He covered Ustad Jumman's famous folk song, 'Yaar Dhadee', and played keyboards on the somber 'Nahi Re Nahi' but it was Ali's 'Dastaan-e-Ishq' that surprised critics and audiences alike for its lyrical genius, beautiful melody and Ali's poignant rendition.

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Call it a spillover factor of Coke Studio or simply a reinvention, but Ali Zafar's third album was far removed from his other albums, the fun-filled Huqa Pani and the youthful Masty. With his third album, Ali Zafar shed his pop influences aside and went for a restrained, textured record, one that fully displayed his changing sound and growth as a musician. From the introspective 'Jee Dhoondta Hai' to the gloomy 'Koi Umeed', the haunting 'Jaan-e-man' to the romanticism of 'Jab Sey Tujh Ko', the sufic tunes worked. Not surprisingly, Ali's Jhoom has managed to stay on top of the charts since its release in 2011 and even won a Lux Style Award for Best Music Album, earlier this year.

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2010 was the year when Ali Zafar went from being a pop star to an upcoming movie star in India. Ali's performed in India before but this time around, it wasn't a concert but a film gig that came calling and Ali took the plunge. The film was the indie comedy, Tere Bin Laden and Ali Zafar went with it. The small-budget film won fans over and even had Bollywood taking notice with Salman Khan, Karan Johar, Aamir Khan tweeting about the film.

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Ali's next had the country talking when he scooped a role as Imran Khan's brother in Yash Raj Film's Mere Brother Ki Dulhan and starred alongside stars such as Katrina Kaif. Even though Ali's role was a supporting one, he explored the fun side of acting with over-the-top comedy and witty one-liners. In the film, Ali also sang a song off the soundtrack, 'Madhubala' which became a raging hit in 2011. With Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, Ali has cemented his position in Bollywood as an actor to watch out for.

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2012 saw Ali Zafar make his mark in his first full-fledged romcom with London, Paris, New York. Starring opposite Aditi Rao Hyderi (Yeh Saali Zindagi fame), Ali even turned music director for the soundtrack of the film. While the film didn't win too many critical hearts, it's ample proof that Ali Zafar can carry a film as a leading man. Next up? A comedy with David Dhawan.