The Buzz

MOST people know Zohaib Hasan as just a singer but I consider Zohaib Hassan and his late sister Nazia Hassan as the founder of pop music in Pakistan.

Zohaib has recently been appointed as the advisor to the Governor of Sindh and he is heading the newly-established area of image building and promotion, which was desperately required. Zohaib was the most suitable person for this job as he has done neumerous promotions, events, expos and festivals, especially in a city like Karachi where there is a lot of work that needs to be done.

There is also a business side to the experienced musician. He plays a pivotal part of his father’s 40-year old real estate business that is spread both in Karachi and in the UK. Zohaib likes to watch sci-fi epics such as War of the Worlds, Star Wars, etc. He is also a big fan of Woody Allen and finds them very intelligently scripted and funny. Zohaib normally doesn’t watch Bollywood movies because he finds them very predictable. “The only movie that appealed to him was a small budget production but very well-scripted comedy called Katha Meetha.

Commenting on Bollywood music, he finds it very commercial & extremely run-of-the-mill. He feels that Pakistani pop has come a long way but still needs more time to grow up. Some of the new entrants show promise but need to concentrate more on creativity rather than the commercial aspect. A lot more younger people are now involved in the music business today as opposed to the time we started. Society has accepted it now as a career option. The media technology has really helped the industry to grow by providing more channels, cheaper musical equipment, etc. Plus, there is less piracy today than before, which is great because that could kill this industry.

Zohaib called it a day after Nazia had passed away but, on the insistence of my wife, family and friends, he decided to do another album. The album "Kismet" was something that Nazia and Zohaib started working on years ago and he has dedicated it to the loving memory of her sister. Interestingly, my wife wrote a story for a drama serial after hearing the score and I have also acted in it for the first time.