On my way back home while listening to the radio station, the radio show host announced, “The next song playing now is from the movie “Qurbani” and being the title of the song “Aap Jaisa Koi” music for biddu and singer Nazia Hasan. One simply cannot forget this song and the singer who ignited disco fever among the masses at the time.

So many interesting anecdotes came to my mind while listening to the movie. Qurbani followed by this song “Aap Jaisa Koi” and popular pop singer Nazia Hassan. My mind started thinking why not write a short article and share a couple of anecdotes here.

He was an Actor, Producer and Director of Qurbani fame namely Feroz Khan who had become close to London based Indian songwriter Biddu who was popular for the hit songs he had composed in the late 1970s.

Feroz Khan had two conditions firmly set for Biddu. First, the recording of this song would be done in London and not in Mumbai. Second, the playback singer would not be from India. While Feroz Khan was looking for a singer in London who he could sing in Hindi. It was here that actor Zeenat Aman suggested the young singer Nazia Hassan to Feroz Khan. For the shooting of the film Qurbani in London, the producer had rented a location in Chelsea during the shooting.

Nazia Hassan started singing in the late 1970s when she appeared on various TV shows on PTV as a child performer. She was only eight years old then. Her professional break came at the early age of fifteen when she sang for the 1980 film Qurbani. The recording of this song took place in a studio on the corner of Oxford Street.

The theme of the song was the introduction scene of Sheela (Zeenat Aman), the beautiful night club dancer in a red dress, while Rajesh (Feroz Khan) is in the club watching Sheela’s performance.

Listening to this beautiful number by young Nazia Hassan, her mother felt that she would either make it a huge hit or break it as a flop. The father was a bit apprehensive because he did not want his son’s studies to be affected in any way. What is surprising is that music is only a hobby for Nazia, but her achievements in this profession were something that many would aspire to achieve in her career.

The movie Qurbani The music album sold more than ten lakh copies at the time. It was the first time for a non-Indian and the youngest Nazia Hassan won the Filmfare Award for Best Singer in the year 1981. The release of this film Qurbani in June 1980 it was really a great event. The Marathi Mandir theater in Mumbai was packed for the next three months at full capacity. Not only the film, but also the music was able to make the cash registers ring at the box office.

As time went by and with the increasing popularity of the song, Nazia Hassan was seen performing it live at center stage. Qurbani popularized the word “Disco” in India and people were getting excited about disco music.

Young Pakistani singer Nazia Hassan captivated the hearts of millions of people around the world and became a popular star overnight. The song “Aap Jaisa Koi” (means someone like you) changed everything then in the 1980s. The privileged place in Binaca Geetmala For the next 14 weeks, Nazia Hassan topped the charts with “Aap Jaisa Koi” leaving behind Lata Mangeshkar in the number two position for the songs in her film aasha.

Mail Qurbani In 1981 Nazia released her first music album titled “Deewan Nightclub”. Some of his hit numbers include Disco Deewane, Boom Boom, Ao Na and Lekin Mera Dil to name a few. It was only in the year 1992 after the release of her album that Nazia left her career as a singer. She completed her education in the UK, earning a law degree. After an enormously successful career as a singer, she later worked with the United Nations on the Security Council. She continued her social work even in New York and worked for children from the UN platform. The Government of Pakistan has awarded Nazia Hassan the highest civilian award, Pride of Performance.

Nazia Hassan passed away at a very young age. She succumbed to lung cancer in London on August 13, 2000. She had been admitted to the North London Hospice in London N12 three days earlier when her condition deteriorated.

Nazia Hassan passed away early but still forever remains young and beautiful in our minds. India Today nominated her as one of the 50 people who helped change the face of India while “Aap Jaisa Koi” it remains India’s first international sound when it comes to music.

Tribute to this legendary singer Nazia Hassan. If she Nazia had been alive, she would be 50 years old today.