Interview 5

           He's no longer the dreamy-eyed wanderer, searching for answers to love and life. Aks, singer Lucky Ali's latest album, has him looking back and looking ahead. Lucky Ali is octaves and registers above the stereotypical pop star. He is not young, cool or hip, neither does he sport amazing biceps or abs. He does not jump around in the semi-nude with female dancers and back-ups and yell. Not quite blending in with the current pop star mould, Lucky Ali is mature, thoughtful and a complete no-nonsense music maker. His intense stage chemistry with band members, and his immersion into every note, every beat and nuance reveal his complete commitment and honesty to the process of music making. Subtext screams out aloud - "Look I'm here to make music, I'm not here to be a star, or to share personal trivia."
          We meet Maqsood Mehmood Ali, who we are more familiar with as Lucky Ali, on one of his rare visits to India. He walks in, light on his feet, sprinkling the air with sparkling "Hi, Hi, Hi!" in a hungry press meet in Mumbai city. The son of veteran comedian Mehmood, New Zealand-based Lucky is chatty and friendly. His eyes are the lightest shade of brown, hazel, if you may, and his frank open countenance exudes a bright cheerfulness. We set down to examine the particular forces that have given his latest album Aks (which means 'reflection') the uplifting exuberant feel that it has. "Happiness, sheer happiness," confesses Lucky, smiling broadly. He nods. "A lot of travelling, a lot of happiness, I really enjoyed doing this album." So where is that dreamy eyed wanderer with stubble, who roamed the deserts in search of love? "That was my first album," states Lucky. Then he was young, and truly searching, hunting for answers to love and life. Aks has Lucky right there bang in the center, as he explains, "Looking back and looking ahead."
He's obviously been through the rough ride, which his very first album Sunoh showcased, Sifar consolidated, and now what he has left is only "very positive expressions. I wrote the album without an iota of negativity." Missing the slight twist of pathos that spikes his sound, and reluctant to burst into celebration, one questions whether pain is not essential for creativity? "Sensitivity to pain is important," points out the singer/song-writer. "But when you are in pain, you can feel only pain. However, you have to have the ability to be sensitive to hurt, in order to be creative."
           With the phenomenal success of tracks like Kyon Chalti Hai Pawan and Ek Pal Ka Jeena from the flick Kaho Na Pyaar Hai, Lucky Ali's hit the Bollywood playback singing arena. Now identified as the voice of Hrithik Roshan, can one look forward to him singing for several other blockbusters? "Not as far as I  foresee," he says. "I did Kaho Na Pyaar Hai more out of family attachments than anything else." 
         Aks, without a doubt, is the best work that Lucky Ali has offered yet. It maps the evolution of the singer, reflects a depth and maturity that perhaps his debut album lacked, though it sure revolutionised the Indi-pop scene at the time, selling more than 4,00,000 copies. As on Sunoh and Sifar, in Aks as well, there are interesting and exotic sounds from the west and east, with prominent acoustic guitaring, typically the Lucky Ali signature sound.  The two singles on Aks - Tere Mere Saath and Kitni Haseen Zindagi - are so catchy, that you might need Lucky Ali's fourth album to knock these out of your head!