A telecom company’s memorable 2003 TVC ‘Khul Ke Bolay Pakistan’, featuring Moammar Rana and Iman Ali, and the classic song ‘Aisay woh sharmaaye’ from the film Do Saathi (1975) may seem worlds apart, but there’s an intriguing connection between the two.
While these two works span different eras, one featuring the lead pair from what was once East Pakistan and the other starring the daughter of famous film and TV actor Abid Ali and the son of a cricketer Shafqat Rana, the common thread is the legendary voice of Ustad Ghulam Abbas.
Ghulam Abbas, renowned for his extensive contributions to music in Pakistan, lent his voice to both the TVC and the film song, starring then superstars Rehman and Shabnam.
Abbas’ career, which began in the late ’60s, spans over 50 years, making him a living legend. Despite the generation gap between his early recordings and his later successes, Abbas is an inspiration to those who want to adopt music as a career.
such as Nadeem, Shahid, Muhammad Ali, Rehman, Waheed Murad, Faisal Rehman and Shaan. His musical legacy endures but there is much more to him…
Born in the early ’50s in Jhang, Ghulam Abbas was interested in the performing arts from an early age. First, he moved to Multan and later to Lahore with his family. In Lahore, he found himself surrounded by intellectuals who shaped his outlook on music and life.
“I lost my father when I was barely five, but the place where I lived was close to poet Nasir Kazmi’s house, who became a fatherly figure in my life,” he recalls to Icon from Lahore. “I had the honour of watching intellectuals such as Habib Jalib, Faiz Ahmed Faiz, Qateel Shifai, Munir Niazi, Josh Malihabadi and Saghar Siddiqi very closely, which affected me during my growing years.
“My journey in music started in 1968 in Lahore, when I won the All Pakistan Student Competition. I soon got employed at Radio Pakistan, where Bushra Ansari and I used to sing in a kids’ programme regularly.”
After facing initial rejection in his pursuit of becoming a playback singer, Ghulam Abbas took a different route and began assisting the legendary music composer Nisar Bazmi. During this period, he worked behind the scenes on super-hit films such as Anjuman (1970), Naag Muni (1972) and Mohabbat (1972), and helped rehearse some popular songs with the most iconic voices in the industry, including Mehdi Hassan, Ahmed Rushdi, Runa Laila and Madam Noor Jehan.
An interesting bit of serendipity led him to Mehdi Hassan, the ghazal maestro. A song by Ghulam Abbas was being aired from Radio Pakistan, Lahore, which grabbed the attention of Mehdi Hassan, who immediately reached the radio station. “Khan sahib asked me at the gate about the singer who sang the song. When I told him it was me, he refused to believe it. He decided to take me under his wing but, due to his busy schedule, he couldn’t give me proper time.
“Instead, I became the student of Ustad Ismail Khan, who was the paternal uncle of Mehdi Hassan as well as his teacher. It wasn’t until the late ’80s that I truly became Mehdi Hassan’s shagird [student],” Ghulam Abbas remembers as if it were just yesterday.
After facing initial rejection in his pursuit of becoming a playback singer, Ghulam Abbas took a different route and began assisting the legendary music composer Nisar Bazmi. During this period, he worked behind the scenes on super-hit films such as Anjuman (1970), Naag Muni (1972) and Mohabbat (1972), and helped rehearse some popular songs with the most iconic voices in the industry, including Mehdi Hassan, Ahmed Rushdi, Runa Laila and Madam Noor Jehan.
Abbas’ big break came after Mohabbat, when Nisar Bazmi decided to feature his vocals for a song that resembled the Mehdi Hassan classic ‘Ranjish hi sahi.’ The song, ‘Woh aa tau jaaye magar’, had similar emotional depth and melodic quality, leading some listeners to mistake Abbas’ voice for that of Mehdi Hassan.
The song struck a chord with old-timers, who were moved to tears by the powerful rendition. This marked a turning point in Ghulam Abbas’ career, launching him into the spotlight as a playback singer.
Aag aur Aansoo (1976) had three songs from Ghulam Abbas, and each was on a different face — Muhammad Ali, Ghulam Mohiuddin, and newcomer Talat Iqbal. He rendered the maximum number of songs for actors Nadeem and Shahid, while the songs on Waheed Murad, though few, were also praised: ‘Kisi ne kisi ko itna’ (Parakh, 1978), ‘Yeh hari bhari aabaadian’ (Awaaz, 1978) and ‘Nishani mere pyar ki’ (Nishani, 1979) are considered among the best songs of the late chocolate hero Waheed Murad.
From 1976 to 1985, Ghulam Abbas remained one of Pakistan’s most prolific playback singers, recording the highest number of film songs. He lent his voice to a wide array of actors, from the veterans of the industry, such as Waheed Murad, Rehman, Muhammad Ali and Nadeem, while also singing for actors born around the time he turned professional, such as Faisal Rehman, Shaan, Ayaz Naek, Saud and Moammar Rana.
With Ahmed Rushdi’s declining health and the ever-increasing overseas tours of Mehdi Hassan, Ghulam Abbas became the darling of film musicians. He sang all kinds of songs, from the fast ‘Mil jata hai yaar’ (Pakeeza, 1979) to the melodramatic ‘O bachpan ke saathi’ (Kainat, 1983), he was equally at ease with both.
The duet with Mehdi Hassan from the film Behen Bhai (1979), ‘Iss dunya mein yaar hum tau rahay anarri’ (Muhammad Ali-Waheed Murad) became a road song and a favourite with all and sundry. The peppy ‘Kitnay din ke baad milay ho’ was very unlike him, yet the song had a touch of Ahmed Rushdi and a pinch of Mehdi Hassan in it.
His ‘Zindagi tu ne har qadam’ for Shahid in Maazi Haal Mustaqbil (1977) gave a new life to the actor’s career while Ghulam Abbas became the go-to voice for TV artists in films, including the likes of Asif Raza Mir, Usman Peerzada, Ghulam Muhiuddin, Javed Shaikh, Rahat Kazmi, Waseem Abbas, Ismail Shah and Ayaz Naik. He is also one of the few singers who provided vocals to macho men such as Badar Munir, Asif Khan and Sultan Rahi.
The maximum number of Ghulam Abbas’ hits came from director/producer Pervez Malik, who used his voice for the best songs. ‘Hum na tarsain kabhi’ (Intekhab, 1977 with Muhammad Ali), ‘Dekh kar tujh ko’ (Mehman, 1978 with Rahat Kazmi), ‘Tujh se pyar karoonga’ (Pakeeza, 1979 with Nadeem), ‘Kabhi hum mein tum’ (Hum Dono, 1980 with Nadeem) and ‘Mera tujh se aisa’ (Qurbani, 1981 with Nadeem), were some of the standouts.
He was also a blessing for producer Shabab Kairanvi and his sons, and gave hits such as ‘Khwaab saaray torr daalay’ (Saathi, 1980 with Asif Raza Mir), ‘Mera pyar bhi tu’ (Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, 1983 with Javed Shaikh) and ‘Ek baar milo hum se’ (Bobby, 1984 with Javed Shaikh).
Ghulam Abbas was also often the voice to go when needed for a patriotic song.
“I have sung the most number of milli naghmay [patriotic songs] on TV and radio. ‘Pakistan ka matlab kya’, ‘Watan ko hum azeem se azeem-tar’, ‘Ae Pak watan ae Pak zameen’ and ‘Khudi ka sirr-i-nehan’ are just a few that come to my mind, but you can get the list from the internet,” he says.
Ghulam Abbas was spot on as, according to Absar Ahmed’s book Har Taan Pakistan (a book on Pakistani milli naghmay), he has the maximum number of such songs against his name.
As the number of male-oriented songs in films declined, Abbas shifted his focus back to radio and TV, also embarking on international concert tours.
“Every year or two, I used to go for a tour around the world, from the US, UK, France to the Middle East and many other places,” says Abbas. “I started out in 1987 and continued till 2009. I never stopped singing for films and, whenever I was in town, I would record a song or two.” Ghulam Abbas sang for films for nearly 30 years.
One of his memorable contributions in the 1990s was singing ‘Tu hai dil ki dharkan’ for composer Robin Ghosh in Jo Darr Gya Woh Marr Gya (1995). This song, where Nadeem lip-syncs for his on-screen daughter — a very young Atiqa Odho — remains etched in the memories of those born in the 1980s.
‘Main ne roka bhi nahi aur woh thehra bhi nahi’ is Ghulam Abbas’s most popular non-filmi song. It was a Radio Pakistan production recorded in 1977 by producer Khalid Asghar, and this particular ghazal won the award for maximum broadcasts on Radio Pakistan. With hamd, naat, ghazal, geet, milli naghmay and film songs to his credit, the tally of his songs has crossed over 10,000.
Ghulam Abbas’ last hit song was recorded in 2001 for the film Dil Tau Pagal Hai, where he sang alongside Shabnam Majeed. Interestingly, Majeed was also his partner in the famous telecom TV commercial, adding another layer of significance to their collaboration. The song with Reema and Shaan created a memorable visual and musical moment, leaving a lasting impression on audiences.
Though this marked the end of an era in his playback singing career, he voluntarily decided to give a chance to the new generation and was never shown the door, as happens in the case of many. He continued to sing for mehfils [social gatherings], TV shows and other events until Covid-19, finally resuming in 2022.
There may have been a break in music but he never stopped in pursuing his other dream, academics. Ghulam Abbas is one of the few from the music world who are highly academically qualified. A triple masters in philosophy, sociology and Urdu literature, he also has a doctorate degree in Music Philosophy from a university in Melbourne. He has even started teaching music and has also established an academy.
In addition to winning four Nigar Awards as a playback singer, Ghulam Abbas was also recognised for his exceptional contributions to music with several prestigious honours. He was awarded the Tamgha-i-Imtiaz (Medal of Excellence) in 2011 and later received the Pride of Performance Award in 2020, both conferred by the President of Pakistan. He was also given the Super Star Award from Radio Pakistan on its 75th Anniversary in 2022.
While these accolades reflect official recognition of his immense talent, dedication and lasting impact on the music industry in Pakistan, Ghulam Abbas’ real legacy in the industry are his contributions to music, still resonating through the decades.
Published in Dawn, ICON, January 12th, 2025
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