Gulf News: Atif Aslam plunges into the world of acting

It took years of deliberation for Pakistani pop icon Atif Aslam to plunge into the world of acting. But when he did, he didn't choose a launch pad that played up his strengths either.

With no scope to display his six-pack brawn or a story that revolved around him — a general prerequisite for newcomers in their launch vehicles — the Tere Bin singer has opted for a slightly unconventional route. His film debut Bol is a tale of a repressed Lahore-based girl living in a male-dominated society struggling to find her own identity. Aslam plays the amiable neighbour.

"I was tired of doing commercial music and I knew that this was the time where I wanted to explore myself. People perceive me as this rock star who can dance and sing. But my intentions of doing this film was to spread a social message — it's not to show my six-pack or to showcase my acting or fighting skills," Aslam said over the phone from Pakistan.

Perhaps, this is precisely why reviews of Bol pinpointed Aslam's role being too succinct and half-baked. The film released in Pakistan on June 24, while it's slated to be released in India and the Middle East later this week.

"One of the negative criticism that came my way was that [the] audience felt that my role wasn't enough and left them wanting for more. I took that as encouragement, because it meant people wanted to see more of me. But I want to tell my fans to watch Bol to encourage Pakistani cinema if nothing else."

According to the singer, who has belted out several hits including Woh Lamhe and in Bollywood, his acting debut addresses a larger cause — women empowerment.

‘Make a difference'

"Right now, what Pakistan needs is to revive its cinema scene. They need encouragement and appreciation and films like these will make a huge difference."

However, his plans for his much-anticipated Bollywood entry are not so altruistic. "I have been getting offers, so you never know.

"You may even see me in a superhero avatar. It's going to be much larger, and everything depends on the script," said Aslam, who burst onto the Pakistani pop scene after his hugely successful solo album Jal Pari in 2004.

Its popularity transcended borders and soon he was flooded with Bollywood playback singing offers for blockbusters including Race (Pehli Nazar Mein) and Ajab Prem Ki Gazab Kahani (Tu Jaane Na). "Singing and acting require two different kind of energies," he said.

"Like if you are in front of the camera, acting, you get a margin to explore yourself, but if you are live on stage, you have no room for improvisation as such — it's just that one take."

A self-titled "fluke", Aslam says his fame "just happened".

"Even today, I can't believe that I made it big as a singer. My take is — if I can sing, anybody can sing. Look around you, we had actors like Farhan Akhtar and Abhishek [Bachchan] impressing us with their vocal tones. It's all about trial and error."

He also sings a few songs in Bol.

"I play a character who is in love with his music and the girl next door. And the best part is that the music in the film doesn't stick to a mass-produced formula. I hate following formulas for anything, because it's extremely boring. That's where Bol is different."

Pakistani pop icon Atif Aslam enters the celluloid world Bol. He hints that Bollywood might be his next step

By Manjusha Radhakrishnan, Senior Reporter, tabloid!
Published: 00:04 August 28, 2011

Atif Aslam Music Goes Global and Continue..

Atif Aslam Music Goes Global












He is looking forward to the Indian release of his acting debut, Bol, but if all goes well, Pakistani singer Atif Aslam will be part of a much bigger partnership. He might just end up collaborating with big-ticket musicians like John Mayer, Coldplay and Jimmy Page (the founder of famous hard rock band Led Zeppelin). Aslam is a member of The Sonic Peacemakers’ ‘Pakistan America: Peace Through Music’ — a project aimed to bring Americans and Pakistanis closer, and support and develop the country’s artistic talent.


“Whenever I’m in the US, I keep aside a week to work only on my collaborations with artistes. Be it raising money or tying up with musicians, I’m doing everything on my own,” says Atif. “We are planning to collaborate with Mayer, Coldplay and Jimmy Page, but nothing is finalised yet.”

A hit Bollywood singer too, Atif says, “I’m keeping my fingers crossed because, after all, they are busy people.” But is it likely to happen? “We will keep everyone informed about it,” he says.

Atif has already recorded four songs with the ex-members of iconic American band Guns N’ Roses — Slash, Gliby Clarke and Chris Pitman for the album The Dreamer Awakes. “With the initiative, I plan to bring Pakistani singers — including our Sufi singers — and American artistes together for musical collaborations,” he says.

Regarding the upcoming release of Shoaib Mansoor’s Bol, Atif mentions, “It’s always exciting to work on new projects. Bol is a very serious film and not just meant for pure entertainment.” Admitting that he was nervous about the film, he adds, “Although I have acted in my music videos and that helped, mouthing dialogues, that too intense ones, is a completely different ballgame. Shoaib Mansoor is a one-of-a-kind director. I loved his last film, Khuda Ke Liye.”
[ Prashant Singh, Hindustan Times Mumbai, August 21, 2011 ]

Atif Aslam - The Hong Kong Tour was fantastic

Atif Aslam - The Hong Kong Tour was fantastic. We never thought we'd be playing there.”
-Atif Aslam talks about his gig in Hong Kong

Shahzeb Shaikh









As I greeted Atif home after his return from Bali tour, in came another surprise, “I am flying down to Hong Kong,” he said. “This would be for the first time a Pakistani is performing there,” he added. Rightly so, places such as Hong Kong, Saudi Arabia where language barrier exists, it's almost impossible for even English artists to penetrate such markets. But Atif remains an exception.

Once back from the Asian country, Atif gave us details. An excited Atif commenced the discussion saying, “The Hong Kong Tour was fantastic. We never thought we'd be playing there. It was completely unusual and an alien place for all of us. Just landing there and experiencing a language barrier was a cultural shock itself.”

I was most excited to know how the people in the crowd responded to his music. He replied in a merry tone, “The people were extremely welcoming. I remember having a sound check the very next day and the organizer came up to and said to me that the audience in Hong Kong isn't very energetic. I didn't respond to her then and by the grace of God on the day of the show, all the audience members were standing. After the show the organizer came up to and said that in the history of all our shows, the audience has never been so energetic,” and added, “Everybody in the audience was standing, including the people in the front row which included politicians, immigrations officers, a person from Pakistan consulate etc.”



The show was a rocking affair. The hall was packed with about 2000 people; 40 per cent people were Pakistani and the rest were locals. The hall had many rules - audience members weren't allowed to stand up, if they do, fire hazards will be turned on, the hall's lights would be dimmed and the sound system will be turned off. Despite these rules, the concert was well organized, the crowd was organized and the hall management decided to let loose and let the crowd have fun. Atif performed many singles including a cover of 'Billie Jean' Jean/Wasta Pyar Da’. People responded to it very well. He played his whole set including 'Doorie', 'Tu Jane Na', 'Woh Lamhe' etc.



Reminiscing the post-concert session, he shared, “We had an autograph session after the concert and a couple of Chinese people came up to me too. They said even if they didn't understand what I sang; they still really enjoyed my music and promised to follow it.”



Like always, I inquired of him as to why he thought that he was invited to such an unusual place for a Pakistani artist. Was it the Indian mantra?” People in China were more familiar with my Indian music. The Pakistani fans were familiar with Kinara, Coke Studio, etc,” he said.

Atif Aslam is a true music lover and is always in the hunt of new stuff relating to music such new genres, native instruments etc. He makes it a point to learn about music of places he visits. When asked what he investigated about the Chinese music he replied, “I don't know much about Chinese music, but I know about some instrument players. I know their music is based on their own tones and sounds. Interestingly, he managed to get a hold of a local instrument. He shared the story. “A friend of mine bought me an instrument called ‘pipa’. It's a Chinese string instrument that sounds like a rubab but certainly very different and unique. I have only seen Chinese people playing and no one in Pakistan has ever played it before. I plan to use it in my concerts.”



I am definitely looking forward to his using the instrument in his music.

When asked about the most memorable incident of the one-day tour, he delightedly recalled, “Hong Kong is known for not inviting artists again after they've performed once but it was different for us because my manager got five to six offers the very day of the concert and we'll surely be going back soon.”

Since Coke Studio have been the most talked about event in the recent times, it was surprising that the country's most wanted pop-rock star was not a party to it. In fact, a poll was held recently that showed that Atif was the most anticipated artist in Coke Studio. When inquired of the reason of his non-participation, Atif eloquently replied, “I was approached this season as well but I declined because I was very busy this time around and also because it didn't interest me too much because I thought Season 2 and 3 sounded very much alike.”
SOURCE = Instep Today Wednesday, August 24, 2011

ATIF ASLAM Wishes Happy Independence Day to Aadeez

ATIF ASLAM Wishes Happy Independence Day to Aadeez













Aaj qaum sey khitab kertay huay main yeh baat waze karna chahta hun k her woh insaan k jis ney is mulk k lye kuch acha kia hai woh mujhey dil sey azeez hai aur jis ne abhi tak kuch nahi kia .... AB TO KUCH KERLAY YAAAR ... Azaad ho to Azaadi ki soch bhi rakhoo ... Happy Independence Day :) - ATIF ASLAM

Check Out Rocking night: Atif Aslam brings the house down..

Rocking night: Atif Aslam brings the house down



Atif Aslam is the kind of artist whose genre is hard to pin down. To say that he is a successful pop star would be an understatement. He has the charm to take you into a romantic groove with popular ballads like ‘Tu Jane Na’ and at the same time he can make you bop to tunes such as ‘Aadat’ and ‘Woh Lamhey’ etc. He proved his versatility recently at a gig in Karachi organized by a private bank. Held a little before Ramadan, the venue was surprisingly not jam packed as people thronged to witness Atif perform live in the city of lights.

As is common with corporate gigs, the audience tends to hold back, which in turn makes the artist lethargic too. Business executives dressed in formal attire can often make a gig lackluster. The crowd is expected to be display certain decorum while enjoying the music. However, the situation changes and so the norms when a performer of Atif Aslam’s caliber takes over the proceedings. The crowd boomed in exhilaration as he began belting out hit after hit. Dressed in a white tee and a pair of jeans, Atif got the crowd moving from the get go. And I repeat – ‘Tu Jane Na’ is even better when witnessed live – a real treat! He dedicated the track to his fans and at one point urged them to sing along.

Amidst a crowd singing in unison with the performer there was an aura of optimism. Towards the end of the track, he made every one yell, “Pakistan Zindabad” and the crowd obliged. A sense of buoyancy was apparent. An electric charge rippled over the venue and girls began screaming their lungs out and tripping over each other to get a better view as Atif launched into ‘Hona Tha Pyar’, off the Bol soundtrack. He pulled it off effortlessly and with such precision, the audience was left gasping in awe.

No doubt it’s his diverse performance capabilities that make him such a great live act. A hit in every aspect, ‘Meri Kahani’ drove the crowd to frenzy as the performance was solid as expected. A rocked up version of ‘Mera Piya Ghar Aya’ followed, merged with his Coke Studio hits. Everyone leapt to their feet, the energy levels rose, and even the aunties in front rows crowded around the stage. It was altogether a new experience to witness him perform ‘Man Kunto Maula’. It was thrilling to witness a fusion of two different genres of music on a single platform. And, before he could call it a night, the crowd shouted for a re-do of ‘Tu Jane Na’, a request which Atif merrily accepted. And frankly, the crowd probably sang more than the singer. It was so exhilarating that the crowd sounded at an equal pitch as that of Atif’s.

Moral of the story: Only a singer of Atif’s caliber has what it takes to make the crowd stand up and dance at a corporate event. [source]

Atif Aslam Images Washington Dc Event Concert 22-07-2011

Chack Out Latest Atif Aslam Images Washington Dc Event Live in Concert on 22-07-2011

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Check out the Latest Atif Aslam Pics Atlanta Concert 15-07-2011