INSTEP Magzine

Faishon

Issues/Controversy

Music

Musician Profile

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Restaurant Review

Society

Columnists

Nadeem F Paracha

Regulars


The all-rounding stakes
ALI ZAFAR Singing prowess Ali's voice strikes a brilliant balance between 'old-fashioned filmi' and 'smooth contemporary'. his tone is also very versatile Ali's Kishore Kumar style singing makes him a hit with the older generation of music listeners as well as the young ones. Albums Ali Zafar's Huqa Pani was very filmy with an ethos of Arabic sound. Melodic, fun and upbeat, it was catering to a generation of music listeners who had otherwise been starved from filmy music. Other musicians who launched onto the scene that same year were dabbling in the rock genre such as Noori, EP and Aaroh. With Masty, Ali Zafar repeats the formula but this time, his sound is far more sophisticated and one can see his progression as an artist. Live performance Ali Zafar can make any show a hit because his vocals are always in top form. But as a performer, he's rather predictable. It's pick-up-the-girl from audience, dance with her routine that is almost always synonymous with his performances. Because the sound of his album relies heavily on electronica, translated live the sound changes significantly. Zafar shouldn't go acoustic. He needs an electronic-synth back up to do his thing.

Videos Ali's 'Channo' set the path for what was to follow in Zafar's following music videos. 'Sajania', 'Masty', 'Rangeen' and 'Aik Pal' were not only refreshing, but they provided audiences with something new each time. In terms of music videos, Ali remains unpredictable while Atif, tediously predictable. To come up to par, Atif must pull up his socks and get cracking in terms of picking directors for his songs. Bad videos, Atif must realize, can be extremely detrimental to his image. Handling the media Ali Zafar makes sure that he is accessible for interviews and if he's out of the country, he maintains contact via email. His manager is a delight to work with who makes sure that the media gets everything they desire – be it video stills or concert updates. Most importantly, Zafar shows respect to national media and doesn't give preferential treatment. His success, it seems, hasn't gone to his head (thankfully). Popularity There seems to be a bit of a tie here. Why? That's primarily because both musicians have done a pretty good job at churning out music videos, songs, concerts, gigs and appearing in a few big-budget advertisements. To say that Atif's popularity rankings are higher than Ali's with regard to the younger (or older) lot and vice versa, would be a sweeping statement. Sex appeal Ali puts Tom Jones to shame with his jiggy-jiggy hip swivels and shaking his money-maker with reckless abandon. He's like the male equivalent of Shakira (okay maybe that's going a little overboard, but you get the picture)! During ovulation season, Ali can be quite the heartthrob. He's just a very unconventionally good-looking lad. Indian strategy Ali Zafar has yet to lend his voice to Bollywood. But he is a sharp player. A while back, Sohail Khan approached him to lend his track 'Channo' to the film Fight Club. They had distorted Ali's catchy 'Channo' to a mediocre vulgar number. Ali refused to be a part of the project. Ultimately, someone else sang the song. Ali got the producers to give him credit for the melody without selling out his artistic integrity. And that is the way it should be. Image consultancy Ali Z started off with Tariq Amin. His videos were stylized to the max. At shows, Ali Z is always decent, if not always impeccably dressed. He does not wear clothes that make him look cheap. Ali also worked with Nabila, showing that he understands the power of image. Professionals make one understand what goes with one's style sensibility and what doesn't. Whatever he wears, he carries it smartly. Be it leather jackets or three-piece suits.	Making all the right moves: A little more effort iin live performances Ali Zafar will leave everyone else behing! He is what you cal the complete package.