|
|
| |
instep
profile
"I will stay here now.
I will not leave Pakistan in this condition."
– Atif Aslam gets real
Atif is not moving to Mumbai. On the contrary he is looking
forward to being a part of Coke Studio right here in Pakistan. The
nation's heart throb speaks to Instep about moving up and moving
on.
By Aamna
Haider Isani
|
| |
 |
| |
It
was a unique insight into the life of a music sensation who has young
female fans hovering around him all the time: Atif Aslam in the company
of four of his girlfriends! When I say 'girlfriends', mind you, I
mean old friends who happen to be girls, none of the romantic types
that we all love to associate with pop idols. And these girls were
certainly not groupies. Not only were they not at all in awe of Atif
Aslam as they shared Nando's Peri Bytes at the restaurant in Lahore
but they were also absolutely at ease when they bullied him into letting
them pick up the tab later. These friends of Atif's from his years
at the Punjab College of Business Administration were addressed as
"boys" and treated like one of the guys. They were no way
close to the star struck girls he is usually surrounded by; one witnessed
him even turn one fan away when she insisted for a picture.
"You know she'll probably go and tell her friends that I have
an awful attitude," said Atif after politely refusing to pose
while he was eating. Atif of course is very particular about his image,
as he realizes the influence he has on today's youth. He narrated
an incident when a diehard fan gave up an addiction to smoking when
Atif asked him to do it for him. But he also clarified that while
he loved all his fans, he was wary of those of them who didn't approach
him for the love for his music but just to go back and tell tales
of how well they knew him.
And it wouldn't be wrong to say that everyone wants to say they know
Atif Aslam. That includes his most diehard fans: one woman couldn't
resist the photo-op and pushed him to the limit by even placing a
crying baby in his lap while he was eating! That also includes his
arch opponents, Jal who couldn't resist personalizing their differences
with him via a video posted on YouTube. That video took their rivalry
to another level altogether and they walked separate paths until they
were thrust together on the Lux Style Awards platform last year. Even
then, Jal - amongst other musicians - complained that the LSAs had
become a platform for Atif Aslam alone, granting him a stage for extensive
performances. Atif didn't get an award last year but he sure did get
most of the spotlight.
"I had centre stage and why should I have objected to all the
attention?" he gave an honest answer. "I love it (the attention)
and why not? Even when I was wearing the NYPD costume I knew that's
all people would be talking about. Jal may have won the award but
who was in the spotlight? I didn't get the award but I got all the
attention. And I especially enjoyed sharing the stage with Reshma,
who is one of my favourite folk singers," he added a bit more
humbly. |
| |
It
is indeed riveting to observe the fanfare that this young
musician has come to command over the years. With absolutely
no formal vocal training (he has just started to learn how
to play the harmonium) he has become the biggest and the most
pronounced voice on the music scene. When he took to stage
for a live performance (at the LSAs), his fans flocked towards
the stage from all over the venue to be closer to him. And
they included girls, boys, ushers, backstage technicians and
workers just as much as the stars and starlets present. No
one could walk away from Atif Aslam, his vocals command that
attention.
Especially entranced was Lollywood actress Nirma, who continuously
gushed, "I love Atif Aslam" as he performed. Needless
to say, Atif Aslam's fandom transcends the LSA arena andgoes
further beyond the borders of Pakistan.
|
 |
|
|
There are committed Atif Aslam fans in India too; in fact they constitute
almost 35 per cent of his fans world wide. Would his popularity suffer,
one wondered, now that the bridge between both countries had been
blocked, bringing all diplomatic and cultural relations to a screeching
halt?Between mouthfuls of chicken and controlling the sniffles that
had him down with the flu, Atif felt that the tension between both
countries would only last four to five months after which communication
would swing back to normal. He confirmed that he was still in contract
with TIPS, his official distributors in India, who have played an
integral role in launching him across the border. That includes releasing
his albums there as well as managing his events/concerts and bringing
him contracts to sing on Bollywood film soundtracks like Race or Kismat
Konnection. |
| |
"I
will continue working with them (TIPS)," Atif confirmed, "until
or unless things get out of hand (between India and Pakistan). Until
then I will release music via Dubai and think of options while things
remain in limbo. The Indian audience is 35 per cent of my fan following
but there are Indians all over the world that listen to my music.
So I'm not really worried. And that said, I'm in no hurry to release
my fourth album; not under the circumstances. I think my love ballads
would make no sense right now."
There had also been rumours of an Indian film in the pipeline?
"Not yet," Atif summed them up. "I have my priorities
right. I will not get into anything that I cannot determine the outcome
of. I have a couple of scripts with me but am not taking them seriously.
If someone like Shoaib Mansoor offered me a role in his film, I would
certainly accept."
And more on the India/Pakistan cross cultural relationship, what did
he think of the Indians burning CDs of Ghulam Ali? Would he, as an
artiste popular in India, consider performing or traveling across
the border while this kind of animosity continued?
"They may burn our CDs but we cannot stop the creative process,"
Atif answered. "I would not want to perform in India as long
as our troops stand face to face and there is so much animosity between
both countries but I would never imagine burning CDs of their artistes
as they have burnt CDs of Ghulam Ali. Indians say they have great
respect for Ghulam Ali sahab but what kind of respect or reverence
can they honestly have if they can disrespect him in such a way? This
means that their appreciation of music is not so true."
Atif further said that he had seen the changing faces of Indian artistes
and was quite used to it by now. He remembered the warm camaraderie
he had shared with Kailash Kher when the two had toured India together
last year and how it changed soon after.
"We had fabulous rapport on stage," Atif remembers, "but
then I caught him on TV and he was making such strong statements against
me; saying I couldn't sing and what not! I was shocked at his change
of attitude and I had the same experience with Abhijeet Sawant. These
people constantly change faces but I do think that's only because
they are insecure."
There have been very vocal oppositions against Atif Aslam in India;
the outcries by playback singers Abhijeet and Alka Yagnik (amongst
others) being constantly negated by his Indian fans who love the brand
of music he has to offer. And thanks to them, Atif has managed to
make it very big in India. But that said, he is always appreciated
as one of the few superstars who strengthened their base in Pakistan
before broadening it out across the border. Atif was a star here before
his stardom got further fuelled by his popularity in India. Perhaps
it is for that reason that he doesn't feel as threatened by the Indian
lifeline being cut off. Quite to the contrary, he enthusiastically
peddled up his patriotism…
"I can't say what will happen to my country tomorrow," he
said, "but even if I was thinking of settling someplace else,
I will stay here now. I will not leave Pakistan in this condition."
On that note, Atif brushed off rumours of him buying an apartment
in Bombay with Ali Zafar and model/actor Mikaal Zulfiqar as ridiculous.
Atif is patriotic - above all of his other 'hidden' characteristics
which include a quirky sense of humour and the ability to laugh at
himself. And to prove his patriotism further, he insisted that it
was the power that popular musicians wielded which could seriously
influence the youth of Pakistan today. The popularity that they enjoyed,
he said, came with immense responsibility, which he took very seriously.
That said, the wave of popular music culture, which was bubbling over
with excitement two years ago, has simmered down to an almost inconsequential
music scene. Public concerts have been reduced to small gigs or corporate
shows held in private spaces, off limits to the general public at
large. The type of concerts which once toured the country and were
held at massive amphitheatres exist no longer. The security threat
and the financial risks are too grave for any musician or sponsor
to ignore. One asked Atif whether he thought it would get better any
time soon?
"Big concerts seem a long shot right now," he replied, "though
I did have a massive concert in Karachi in the last week of December.
It was a 'masses' concert and there were about 2500 people in attendance.
It was great. The thrill of the performance is incomparable,"
he said, drumming his fingers on the table and singing along a Beyonce
song (which played in the background) for extra impact.
He went on to say that album sales and appreciation could never match
the thrill of performing in front of a live audience. Not to mention
that critics had always been a bit too stern in their analyses of
his music.
"My albums get constant criticism in Pakistan," he said,
apparently unperturbed. "I get constant criticism though I have
never understood why - as my albums have done fabulously - but I will
hold my ground. All three albums of my albums have been different
in terms of sound and even my future albums will be constant experimentation.
I will continue to play with sound no matter what anyone says."
And it is that hunger for experimentation as well as the promise of
better things to come that have brought Atif onboard the Coke Studio
project.
"I am in talks with Rohail Hyatt and would love to do Coke Studio,"
he confirmed. "I am looking forward to it. I don't know who I'll
be paired with but even on a solo, I can improvise on so many of my
own songs."
In the absence of mass music movements, it will be projects like the
Coke Studio and even gigs organized under the label of The System
(a new conglomeration of young musicians developing a platform for
music under the supervision of Farhad Humayun in Lahore) that will
continue to flourish and take music on the ride of development. In
the absence of concerts, these gigs and projects are vital to keep
music's pulse alive in Pakistan. And as long as there are superstars
like Atif Aslam, willing to be woven into the process, there's a strong
chance that the industry will bounce back to glory sooner or later.
The only thing it'll need in addition to the pool of talent it boasts
today, he agreed, was more female musicians on the scene.
"What we need is another Nazia Hasan," he announced conclusively,
proving he was no male chauvinist by allowing his young girlfriends
to pay the bill at the same time. "We need another Nazia and
more singers like Zeb and Haniya. Though I feel that their last video
('Aitebar') was as bad and off as any of my videos (laughs) I do think
the girls are immensely talented. We need these types of girls in
music more than we need the Rabi Peerzada types." |
| |
|
