Transition from a fast-bowler to a singing sensation- The story of Atif Aslam

Pakistan cricket currently has the likes of Hasan Ali, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi as their premier fast-bowlers. Previously, they used to boast of speedsters like Shoaib Akhtar, Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram and others. However, there could’ve been one more name added to the elite list- Muhammad Atif Aslam- the cross-border singer, who has been a sensation in both Indian and Pakistani music.

Surprised? Yes, his childhood aspirations were to become a fast bowler. His cricketing career leapfrogged to such an extent that he got selected in the Pakistani Under-19 squad at the age of 16 for the 2000 World Cup in Sri Lanka. He is 35 years old and can’t ply his trade in cricket anymore, but he can definitely keep spreading love across the neighboring countries by weaving his magic with his vocal chords.

I was a cricket champion

Atif started singing when he met Goher Mumtaz, a guitarist, and actor and also the founder of Jal, a famous rock band in Pakistan. Atif went on to become a part of the band and the duo recorded their first song named ‘Aadat’, shot in one day and the same became an instant blockbuster. However, later, he decided to leave the band and become a solo artist and thereafter has tasted a significant amount of success.

Earlier, Atif also talked about how he made into the World Cup team. “I never thought of being a singer. In fact, I didn’t even take any training in singing. I was a cricket champion and was also selected for the ‘Under 19’ World Cup cricket team of Pakistan,” he was quoted as saying by TellyChakkar.

Meanwhile, he revealed that his parents weren’t in favour of him playing cricket. “Well, my parents were never keen of me taking part in the cricket tournament. In fact, they never wanted me to be a cricketer. On the other, I had an inclination towards singing and eventually, I turned a singer,” he added.

Atif’s illustrious singing career

Atif released his first solo album back in 2004 by the name of ‘Jalpari’, which took the music industry by storm in both India and Pakistan. He forayed into Bollywood with his song ‘ Woh Lamhe’, a revamped version of his song ‘Bheegi Yaadein’ from Jalpari in the Mahesh Bhatt-directed flick ‘Zeher’. An altered version of ‘Aadat’ released in the same year and Atif soon became a talk of the town in India as well.

December 2006 saw the release of another album named ‘Doorie’, which again blew away the music fraternity. His third album ‘Meri Kahahi’ released in June 2012. The experienced campaigner also sang his first Bengali song ‘Mithe Alo’ in the movie Cockpit in 2017 and it became a hit. He has also been seen as guest judges in shows in ‘Pepsi Battle of the Bands’ a popular show in Pakistan.

Atif’s latest song is ‘Thaam Lo’ in the Pakistani movie ‘Parwaaz Hain Junoon’. The veteran is married to educationist Sara Bharwana since March 29, 2013, when they tied the knots in Lahore. The couple gave birth to their son in 2014. His melody hasn’t died down by any stretch of the imagination and he is rightly speculated to have a bright future in the offing.

Here’s the video of his maiden song ‘Aadat’

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