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WIN IT LIKE QAZI 'Kahani poori filmi hai' Priya Sugathan, Sakinaka Armed with dreams, super (not over) confidence, a handful of dance steps learned from watching television, and no sur, the golden (literally) boy from Kashmir came to try his luck in a singing competition and unwittingly floored the Indian audience even as the self righteous trained singer tribe went all out to prove that he did not fit in with them and did not qualify. While humiliations made him work harder at his notes and master them, his presence rankled the other contestants who worked hard at making him feel an outsider than their riyaaz. "Kahani poori filmi hai," quips the twenty year old incredulously. "I didn't know what I was getting into when inspired by Abhijeet Sawant, a god for the youth, I auditioned for Fame Gurukul. It was anything but Indian Idol. Here we were confined to one side of the world for four months, no interactions with outsiders and rules and regulations to be followed, and cameras on for 24 hours. Our life was being viewed by the world. Irrespective of our talent, what mattered was how we handled the pressure. And I went through that everyday as I kept landing in the danger zone time after time, but I used to laugh it off on the stage saying anything is possible." Qazi recalls the only time he cried on stage. "I sang 'I am the best' song and landed in the danger zone on the very first day. I could not understand what was happening and thought I was a goner. With tears flowing, I said, 'har haar ke baad ek jeet hoti hai aur us jeet ka mein zindagi bhar intezaar karoonga. Chahe voh jeet aaye ya na aaye, lekin main voh jeet ka intezaar karoonga.' And that day finally came." About all the criticism and humiliation that he faced on television, Qazi philosophises, "If it were not for those criticisms, I would not have improved and come this far. Mehnat se kuch bhi ho sakta hai. My friends are shocked, 'tu gaayaki kabse bana?'" Qazi, whose yardstick of success and hardwork are Amitabh Bachchan (bade miyan) and Shahrukh Khan (chhote miyan), says he's not changed much. "I talked a lot before and I do so even now. I never plan what I say, and I believe that 'ganda bhi bolo toh dil se bolo," he laughs. "I apply that to my singing as well. I'm not a trained singer and I don't know my saregamas; I just believe in singing with my whole soul. And will continue to do so." He's quite excited about his debut album with Rooprekha, which has ten songs; His renditions of songs like 'Yeh Pal, 'Meri Mehbooba' and 'Karoo kya' gives goose p***les to people who've seen his journey as a 'besura'; the transformation is amazing. But he's quite excited about that one song that captures his journey as 'zero to hero'. "I also enjoyed shooting for the video of 'Yeh pal', because I got to do what I've always wanted to do and that is – acting. I love being in front of the camera. Acting is my passion and I'll never playback for another actor." He cracks up when he hears about a 'Mrs Qazi' contest being held by his fans and recounts his disaster with 'maidens'. On a serious note, he feels grateful to the junta's support and calls himself 'junta ka aadmi'; he also feels that he's reaping the rewards of the good deeds of his father. "My father was a lawyer and gave it all for Sufisim. Every week he keeps a langar and has told me to continue the tradition even if I have no money." QAZISM (His popular quotes during FG show): > I like challenges. > Qazi is all about passion. > 'Kabhi bhi kucch bhi ho sakta hai, anything is possible' > 'Main tumhe bataata hu performance, and you show me the sur. Together we will rock boss.' > 'Aaj main hawai jahaz main ud rahaa hoon; rail gaadi ki baatain na poochiye' > 'Hum yaha rishtey banane ke liye nahi aaye hai. This is competition' > 'Khushi ke maare neend nahin ayee' |
