Atif Aslam is a big name, not only within Pakistan but also in India, where he has a huge and loyal fan following whether it’s due to mega-hits such as Pehli Nazar May (2008) and Dil Diyan Gallan (2017) or because of his unforgettable sufi performances in Coke Studio.
However, a recent re-emergence of a video of Atif singing his version of Pink Floyd’s 1975 classic hit ‘Wish you were here’ has prompted a lot of interesting discussion online. Atif performed the rendition at a charity concert at the “Best Buy Theatre” in New York City with the former members of the American hard rock band Guns N’ Roses way back in 2011.
The performance started out pretty well, with the entire crowd ecstatic to hear one of their favourite songs live, one could hear people cheering Atif on and clapping along with him. However things soon went a bit downhill from there and he lost most of the crowd, especially when Atif decided the song needed a desi twist and some serious improvisation!
And this was not appreciated by a lot of viewers:
Some thought Atif’s performance was a disservice to the original:
And while some thought Atif should “stick to Bollywood”:
Others appreciated his effort and thought it a big thing for him to be performing live with one of the greatest bands of all time.
Here is the video that caused so much controversy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMbIyj9rxsU
What do you think about Atif’s performance?
