“Hum Quettay ka Pathan hai, mera naam Sher Khan hai” (I’m a Pathan from Quetta, my name is Sher Khan) sings Ahmed Siddiq, probably the funkiest and the latest viral song to hit Pakistan’s music industry.

Ahmed Siddiq’s Sher Khan has everything in it that a hit requires — excellent guitar riffs, a dash of good humour and affection. Employed in the telecom sector for over than a decade, the singer says music has always been his first love and passion.

Sher Khan the video

The song is what Aadat was to Atif Aslam. In the hardest of times, the song has spread like the proverbial wildfire. The concept is simple enough: a Pathan guy suffers an accident, gets admitted in a hospital and falls for the pretty Dr. Khan. How he attempts to impress her and describe his feelings to her is quoted in humorous lyrics recited in a Pakhtun accent decorated with punk-rock music which is memorable as well as catchy.

About the concept, Ahmed Siddiq says, “One day I was playing the guitar and the line just hit me out of the blue: Hum Quettay ka Pathan hai, mera naam Sher Khan hai. It sounded cool so I started working on the melody and Sher Khan was born. The subconscious influence could have come from the Quetta-wala cafes dotting Karachi.” Coke Studio-fame pianist Mubashir Admani has produced the audio and the video is directed by Fayyaz Ahmed.

Sher Khan went viral with the countrywide ban on YouTube still in effect, which is no doubt a big deal. “I knew the song had potential, but the response has been amazing. Despite the ban on YouTube here, Sher Khan has 200,000-plus hits so far,” says Siddiq, adding, “as for other social media such as Facebook, dailymotion, we have lost count of likes and shares as it has been downloaded and shared by fans across the world.”

According to the singer, he was also approached by an Indian production house, “They wanted Sher Khan for their film but as their script and cast was not finalised, we were unable to close the deal.”

The music

Ahmed Siddiq’s debut music album, Toe Untalees, is now ready and will be released along with his second video which is planned to be shot this month. The album has eight tracks and the genre is hard rock to toe-tapping trance numbers.

As an artist, Sher Khan has opened up many vistas for Ahmed Siddiq including live performances. The singer says he recently performed in Islamabad to massive applause. “I was amazed with the reaction to my first-ever concert there and after the show when my fans came over to meet me, they called me Sher Khan and Sheru.”