Tour of Karachi

              An Interview of Lucky Ali after rehearsal for the Karachi concert  (Exclusive)

          Karachi- July 6, 2001. A cadre of jornous from Karachi's diverse media community have flocked to the Hockey Club of Pakistan where Lucky Ali and his band, Inshallah are rehearsing for the concert that to take place there on Saturday July 7, 2001 . Rafi peer theatre Workshop & Applause events ; Faizan Peerzada , who has organized the event , flits in & out of the space , & Police , security intelligence & the ilk create a Danteesque back drop. Former actress Mishi Khan and some British documentary crew lend incongruous glamour buzz to the almost surreal environs .The gathered representatives of various Pakistani publications are told to wait until the rehearsal ends . After a 90 minutes wait, each of us are told that we get " 10 minutes max " , because Lucky has to leave to have " His haircut " by celebrity stylist Mubashir Khan ! Lucky us! As Lucky Ali hurtles out of his rehearsal and rushes into the first interview of mine I notice that he is not as matinee idol handsome in real life as he appears in the myriad videos .Short shrift however must be given to the fact that he has just stepped out of what seemed like a grueling rehearsal almost stout in matching camel shirt & trouser , with unkempt curly hair salt & pepper side burns and sexy, peppery day old stable , he appears without star airs . However, his normality & down to earthiness seem to be colored by are constant struggle to remain as unfazed & unfettered by the glare of his fame .His confidence & straight forwardness , well , appear to be just the residual of a " Shy Guy" trying to maintain his equilibrium ,& canvass his future & his artistic space on his own terms. However , what is sticking in his appearance , specially to his multitude of female fans , are his large dreamy hazel-green eyes. The eyes of a romantic artist , an individual on an ongoing voyage to satisfy his soul . When I ask him, if he will be singing a duet (probably from the soundtrack of Kaho Na Pyaar Hai,) with Hadiqa Kiyani at the concert, he replies humbly " that he does not know whether she (Hadiqa) has accepted the offer yet, "seemingly obvious to the fact that he is probably the bigger star, but still not wanting to appear tyrannical or pushy and presumptuous. Can he be that simple and cerebral? AKS (latest album) is a soulful 'reflection' of where the artist has arrived at on his journey, since the earlier two music compilations. "Basically, in the beginning I was very shy," offers Lucky, whose real name is MAQSOOD MEHMOOD ALI ( the 'stage name' Lucky Ali was coined by his phupee who sent it over from PAKISTAN), "In the earlier two albums I was still shy about expressing my thoughts and feelings," Lucky continues. "I was scared that people would find them strange. I wasn't sure if the music I was making was what people wanted." Lucky had no formal musical training prior to SUNOH.What circumstances is life have led him to become a tad bit more out going? "Well it's come gradually from meeting so many people over the years," he reflects. "Meeting other musicians and sharing ideas. It's really nice meeting and working with lots of people," he adds genuinely. Lucky's love of computers has precipitated a software company which has developed a site called AGRINET that supports farmers rights. This human alchemy has tinged AKS with joyous, positive numbers including Tera Mera Sath, which has a human feeling of Lucky Ali finally interacting with people and actually enjoying himself. The track has steadily risen up the charts, thanks, no doubt to the video shot amid the carnival atmosphere of Havana. Kitni Haseen Zindagi with its immensely catchy hummable melody, and mature lyrics although has also upbeat, it is reminiscent of the Sunoh/Sifar theme of unassailable soul searching. "My lyrics are buoyed by life and a constant searching to attain a particular caliber and standard," Lucky the consummate artist says. "I haven't come near to achieving that yet. I'm still undergoing a discovery process, and I have not yet reached the level of accomplishment that I want," he says still full of hope. The tunes on AKS with their blend of Oriental , Western, Arabian and Latin musical strains were "thought" up by Lucky Ali himself and set to poetry by Syed Aslam. The album was produced and arranged by Mike McLeary and co-produced by Kalyan Barooah. The talented Mahesh Mathai directed many of Lucky's videos. Lucky Ali belongs to the Arcot family who are originally from Arabia and descendants of HAZRAT UMAR. Speaking of his family and his father, whom he corrects me "still is, and not was" one of the India's greatest extroverted comedians, is Lucky's reticent, low-key personality a conscious reaction to his father's legendary gregariousness? He pauses for a brief moment to deny this assertion, but his inherent self honesty prevails. "Yes I suppose it all has been more about a reaction," he says simply. "However, I don't want to be a compared either to my father or any other artist ," Lucky asserts. "I just have to be me" Although he acknowledges his filmi family background (his mother is screen legend Meena Kumari's younger sister. He opines that the pressures of movies killed his KHALA), in the past he had always shown an aversion to the idea of acting in films. At age three however, while at boarding school in the Maissuri hills, he acted in his father's film, Chotay Nawab and went on to act spuriously in award winning documentary, TRIKAAL and Yeh hai Zindagi. He was ofered a cameo role in a POOJA BHAT movie, playing a musician, and a role in Aditaya Bhattacharaya's AVATAAR. However one role that will actually come into fruition is his come back in KAANTE (thorns), a mob based which will be partially shot in New York. Under the Sunil Dutt/ Sanjay Dutt banner, Kaante is directed by Sanjay Gupta with a cast headed by Amitabh Bachan, Sanjay Dutt, Sunil Sheety, Kumar Guarav and Mahesh Manjerakor. "It's very MAAR DHAAR," Lucky explains, perhaps conscious that his own personna is known to be genteel.  Is the role a positive or a negative one ? "It's all about the positive and about the negative," he says forever espousing the running theme of his life and his music. "It's about people and humanity." Scratching his trademark stubble he adds that it is a de-glamorized role, The cast start shooting in August 2001. Other upcoming projects include Mahesh Bhatt's KIS KO KIYA CHAHIYEH, Aditya Bhattacharaya's AVATAAR and "perhaps" Dev Anand's LOVE AT TIMES SQUARE, which he mentions with a naughty smirk and a twinkle in his eyes. He has however agreed to lend three tracks to Anand's very Breakfast at Tiffanys sounding film . (The movie's name may be changed to the more indigenous, PUKARTA CHALA JAAOON). So does Lucky see himself as a sex symbol, or think about going that route ? "No, not at all," he says dism- issively. " It has not been my intention to propagate that idea." What about the legion of knicker throwing female fans who are no doubt attracted to his dreamy eyes, stubble and soulful, sensitive, uplifting lyrics ? "My fans also include elderly people and children of both sexes," he replies defensively. All right then. Since he is such a media baby (or is it baba?) in terms of his involvement in both the music and film industry, how come he has made such a conscious effort in the past to avoid being photographed with starlets and models. For a moment Lucky seems honestly perplexed and lost, and says that he doesn't understand the question, and asks me to repeat it, and I do. "Well," he finally says, getting my drift, " You will never see me with my underpants in some tabloid. That's what the magazines and photographers want. But I will not sell my soul". So what boundaries has he set for himself ? "Well I will only portray myself in public in a manner that directly pertains to the publicity of any project I may be involved in," he says succinctly. So is his private life completely off limits ? He widen his eyes and seems quite open to any forthcoming interrogations. Well MTV Asia recently reported that Lucky had re-married , despite avowing immense and undying love to his first wife MASOOMA, a converted devout Muslim New Zealander, who reportedly follows her new religion assiduously. (Masooma's father was a missionary. She is also a light eyed, veiled girl in Lucky's music video O SANAM.) An Indian publication has also recently quoted Lucky as saying that the reason why he remarried, was because "his first wife hates travelling." Was that a flip facetious comment, or something to throw off a pesky reporter ??? Lucky looks alarmed for a microsecond but remains calm. "Yes I have re-married. In my religion it is not HARAM to have two wives. I spoke to my first wife and she understood. She said ' go for it' and gave me her blessings," he explains . The only fact he is willing to disclose about his recent nuptials that took place last year, is that his second wife, INAYA, an indian Parsi girl, has also converted ISLAM. "That quote about my first wife not wanting to travel was a stupid person trying to pry, by asking a stupid question in a stupid manner." On this trip to Karachi, Lucky has traveled with his first wife MASOOMA and their five year old son and three year old daughter . Lucky says that he does not want to do anymore playback singing, despite receiving a Film Fare Award for best male playback singer from the film Kaho Na Pyaar Hai, a soundtrack that has sold well over 5000,000 units. "Playback singing is not where I see my career going," he says decisively. " I want to move away from mainstream music as it becomes increasingly full of peril. Musically, I see a a lot of things happening which are not really film based. I would like to experiment and my next album may be an experimental one." Lucky surprises me by informing me that there is neither an expensive CD system or even a tape recorder in his house in New Zealand, where he spends six months of the year. The other half year is pent in Bangalore. Another decisive move that Lucky plans to make in August 2001, is that he leaving the Sony Label. "I just go want to solo. Wing it on my own", he repeats determinedly a few times. The last time Lucky was in the Pakistan was during the ambitious music festival was organized by the Peerzada brothers in Lahore, earlier this year. Lucky diplomatically says that he neither prefers Lahore not Karachi, perhaps sensing the two cities ongoing rivalry, but adds that " he is just excited to be in Pakistan. Lahore is more about culture, whereas Karachi is about life. Anyway, my phuphoo lives and it is always exciting to see her". Politically astute, Lucky quotes recent public announcements by Indian politicians, encouraging artists to travel across border to Pakistan and perform, perhaps their knee jerk reaction to Pakistan' President Pervez Musharaf's impending visit to India. "Ali Azmat come to India quite often and has many friends in Bombay", Lucky says. "Anyway whether it is a Pakistani going to India or vice versa, one has to behave responsibly while being in a different country." Would he be interested in acting or singing for Pakistan cinema? "Sure", grins the green eyed Virgo pop icon, forever trying to please, adding that his greatest musical inspirations are "simplicity, life, creation, people, parents, and all life's normal matters." As his "managers" told me that my time is up, as there are other people wanting to interview Lucky Ali, and as lucky tells them to give me a few more moments, I still keep wondering : Can this man really be so basic? And LUCKY ?