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Arshad
Mahmood enjoys the status of a romantic singer and can be compared to
Indian singer Kumar Sanu. His ditties like Dekha jo chehra tera, Ho sakey
to mera ek kaam karo and others gained him international fame. Which was
pretty evident on his last visit to India where he was interviewed by many
channels. While being interviewed by Mayur for Zee TV, Arshad was
requested to hum a few lines of Ho sakey to mera ek kaam karo which he
readily did. Soon a group of females flocked around him, excited at coming
face to face with the singer, exclaiming, "Oh it's you who has sung
this beautiful song." Pens and papers were instantly produced for
Arshad's autograph.
Arshad has had his fair share of major blows throughout his career. All of
which have made him strong enough to face the odds in life. Yet, he has
managed to survive, refusing to give in to the pressures and unjust
demands of the showbiz industry.
It all started way back in the mid 70s when the passion for singing surged
into the heart of this ambitious college student. So much so that he left
his family in Sukkur, as they were opposed to the idea, to pursue his love
of music. His has been a difficult journey. The initial three years spent
outside the imposing gates of the TV station, waiting persistently for
entry, finally happened in the late 70s.
Shahzad Khalil, with whom Arshad used to have frequent sittings, was his
teacher as well as a friend, always encouraging him. "During our
evening meetings we used to sing. That's when Shahzad advised me to take
it up seriously."
His first break came in the form of a Sindhi programme, Chachito, where he
had actually come for an audition for an acting part, but ended up
crooning. People liked what they heard and that helped him decide what
path to follow. So he became a student of Nisar Bazmi where, he says, most
of his learning took place. By the early 80s Arshad had succeeded in
carving a niche for himself, and was doing three music programmes on PTV
simultaneously. In '86 he did his first Urdu programme and then there was
no stopping the ambitious young man.
"It was in 1989 in Neelam Ghar that Syed Noor spotted this rising
star. This project, Qasam, was a first for both concerned - Syed Noor's
first film as a director, Arshad's first at being a playback singer. It
was in Qasam that Saleem Sheikh and Erum Hassan made their debut in the
film industry. And then started the foreign tours which took up half his
time.
At this point Arsahd lets go of his restraint and in his typically
pleasant manner says, "It's when I'm on these foreign trips that
other singers get a chance to sneak in and take my place." Is this a
direct hit at Waris Baig? "I am slightly expensive whereas the new
entrants do not charge anything since they are getting their entry in
showbiz. Why then would the music director want me when he can get someone
on his terms." It was actually him, Arshad says, who was the first
choice for Syed Noor's Sangam. But due to a single day's delay he was
deprived of it, due to the lobbying against him. When he got to Lahore
Arshad discovered that the songs he had rehearsed had already been done by
Waris Baig, which was a nasty blow for him. However, the gentleman that he
is, he still did a song for Sangam.
Arshad has also dabbled in films as a hero. But after just three, he
realized that his singing career was suffering. So it was adios to acting
and back to the pavilion he had come from. It was the rendition of Dekha
jo chehra tera that created a stir and won him accolades. Initially it was
rumoured that it was done in India and Arshad's name was attached to it,
which was but just a rumour. The song proved to be a major feather in his
cap and ever since he's been in demand with a capital D.
Currently Arshad is completely immersed in his upcoming projects, two of
which are Syed Noor's. And he is quite excited about it too. After his
Best of Arshad Mahmood, the next album to be released internationally is
Seasons of Love.
The stars are definitely shining down on Arshad as he has signed four
films as playback singer with Nadeem-Sharavan of Aashqi and Raja
Hindustani fame. His single, Cheemo, is his latest rage with the masses.
So we can safely say that Arshad is one satisfied soul, but he interjects
by saying, "I want to be as successful as Nusrat Fateh Ali and
Michael Jackson (to name a few).
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