Asif Mehdi (1966-2021) was a Pakistani ghazal singer and a playback singer in Lollywood, Pakistan. He was known much for reviving classical singing in his country as well as for being the son of Mehdi Hassan[1]

Asif Mehdi
Born1966 (1966)
Pakistan
Died2 August 2021
(aged 55)
Karachi, Pakistan
GenresGhazal, playback singing
OccupationSinger
Years active1983- 2021

Early life

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Born in Pakistan to Mehdi Hassan. He started his training at age 13 from his father and his uncle Ghulam Qadir. His family migrated from Mandawa in Rajasthan, to Pakistan at the time of partition of India in 1947.

Performing career

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Asif Mehdi performed with his father in Los Angeles in 1983 for the first time at age 17. When he sang, his father Mehdi Hasan was so annoyed that he rebuked him for singing in an effeminate voice. He has toured India, along with ghazal singer Jagjit Singh, in 2009 on the concert tour called Music for Peace which seeks to establish peaceful relations between India and Pakistan which share a common culture and language.[1][2]

He, like his father, is fond of singing nazms by famous lyricists like Mir Taqi Mir, Ahmed Faraz, Qateel Shifai, Hafeez Jalandhari and Mirza Ghalib.[3]

He signed a contract with Sony Entertainment last year and the album will be released across the globe in January 2010.[2]

Films

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He has done 60 movies in the Pakistani film industry.

Awards

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Asif Mehdi won the Nigar Award in 1999 for his playback singing.

Personal life

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Asif Mehdi lived with his family in Karachi, Pakistan, where he breathed his last on 2 August 2021.

References

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  1. ^ a b http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Delhi/article63176.ece, Profile of Asif Mehdi on The Hindu newspaper, Published 10 Dec 2009, Retrieved 15 Dec 2016 Archived 24 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ a b http://www.deccanherald.com/content/40519/media-has-failed-promote-ghazals.html, Asif Mehdi's interview to the Deccan Herald newspaper, Published 10 Dec 2009, Retrieved 15 Dec 2016
  3. ^ https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/records/n2vnpd, Soundtrack of Asif Mehdi on BBC Music website, Retrieved 15 Dec 2016
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