Entertainment | Film & Cinema
Pakistan pop star delves into comedy
Pakistani export Ali Zafar makes his unconventional debut in Bollywood and hopes to 'titillate audiences intellectually'
- By Manjusha Radhakrishnan, Staff Reporter
- Published: 00:00 July 1, 2010
- Image Credit: Supplied
- Ali Zafar on Tere Bin Laden: " It's a satire about how the rest of the world has been isolated post-9/11 and is a funny take on how the media plays a role in the larger scheme of things. And how one person can be blamed for it"
Ali Zafar may be dubbed Pakistan's prince of pop, but the treatment meted to him once at an US airport was by no definition royal.
Zafar's memory of his first visit to America, immediately after 9/11, includes extraordinarily intense scrutiny, elaborate scanning and suspicious glances.
Though he obliged at that time, the singer-turned-actor clearly remembers the episode and also made an oath that he would one day make a socio-political comment from a Pakistani's perspective.
Cut to 2010 and Zafar has kept his word with the already controversial satire Tere Bin Laden (Without You Laden), also his foray into Bollywood.
"The first time I went to the States, I felt some very negative vibes towards us. I think most Pakistanis or South Asians, Muslims in particular, were being targeted. Everything from their attitude, the way they spoke to us, made us feel as if we were not wanted. In fact, there was even a separate section that dealt with Pakistanis and Muslims. It was inconvenient, uncomfortable and I didn't like it," Zafar tells tabloid!
Cheeky comedy
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Scheduled to be released in India on July 16, the singer is quick to add that his Bollywood launch vehicle will not be reduced to a US-bashing, jingoistic diatribe. The film is touted as a cheeky comedy about an ambitious news reporter who employs an Osama Bin Laden look-alike to grab attention. The US government intervenes and things take a nasty, dubious turn.
"The concept of this film is very funny and I'm sure people will have a lot of fun. When I first heard the script I had some apprehensions, but there is nothing in the script that will hurt anybody's sentiments. It has a quirky title — bin, means without in Hindi — but it goes with the satirical film."
Always one to choose the unconventional over the regular, the 30-year-old singer says finding the right film to make a debut was a challenge in itself. "I have been scouting for the right Bollywood script since 2005, when my album released for the first time in India. I got a couple of offers, but nothing interested me until Tere Bin came along.
"I believe in doing things out of the box. Usually, people may opt to launch their film careers with a lover story, but I feel luck to have been a part of this quirky film."
The film, directed by debutant director Abhishek Sharma, does not feature any glamourous women, usually a pre-requisite for any Bollywood musical.
"I am sorry, but I have no love interest in this film. Guys, you will have to bear me throughout the film. They did try to make me do a shirtless, topless scene, but even that got edited [out]," he says, laughing.
"Nothing to titillate the audience. But I hope we titillate them mentally and intellectually."
A-list fans
Shot in Mumbai, the film was made on a modest budget, and although it does not feature any of them, has already attracted a fan following from some Bollywood A-Listers. Heavyweights Salman Khan and producer-director Karan Johar have given their stamp of approval and have even been spotted wearing the film's T-shirts. These stars have also plugged the film on Twitter.
"It was incredibly sweet of them to say those things and it was even sweeter how [Karan Johar] wore the film's T-shirt. Karan even said, ‘I am sure this film is a sure shot hit.'"
This good-will gesture could go a long way in an industry where many Pakistani celebrities have failed to strike box-office gold. Many of them, including Meera recently (see box), have been nothing more than one-film-wonders.
"I am aware of the situation, but the landscape of Indian cinema is changing. Nowadays, even big-budget films and bigger stars don't guarantee success in Bollywood. The idea is the star and I think Tere Bin Laden has that in plenty."
Did you know?
Ali Zafar, one of Pakistan's most famous music exports and hitmaker, has sung four songs for Tere Bin Laden. He collaborated with Indian singer/musician Shankar Mahadevan for one of the songs, Ullu Da Pattha. "I enjoy singing and initially I was supposed to sing two songs, but then I ended up singing four.
"It was superb to work with a talent like Shankar," he says.
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