Atif Aslam talks to Aamna Haider Isani about how his life has evolved around work and family and how important it is to maintain a distance between the two

Atif Aslam, by all descriptions, is Pakistanâ€™s most celebrated artist today.

Atif Aslam at badlapurfilm success party #HBDAtifAslam #HBDAhad #BAMA2015GoldenEditionAtifAslam #AnjuAadezz. Muhammad Atif Aslam (Urdu: محمد عاطف اسلم ‎; born 12 March 1983; mostly referred to as Atif Aslam) is a Pakistani playback singer and actor. He has recorded numerous chart-topping songs in both Pakistan and India and is known for his vocal belting technique. He predominantly sings in Urdu and Hindi, but has also sung in Punjabi, Bengali and Pashto.

Itâ€™s a simple case of mathematic. With a massive following of over 18 million on Facebook, 466K on twitter and more visibility than any single artist in the country on Instagram, where 791,000 fans trail him, he is collectively the most followed celebrity on social media. In fact, his popularity equals the rest of the music industry, combined. And thatâ€™s just cyberspace. The constellation of his concerts shine all over the world, from popular destinations like India, Dubai and the USA but also places like Lagos and Budapest, where very few Pakistanis have ever performed on such a scale as he has. Heâ€™s in Pakistan today but is flying out to Los Angeles at 5am tomorrow morning, straight after concert, on a tour that has seen him perform live in eight mammoth shows in nine days.

Settled, calm and successful, he no longer carries the restless energy that he did ten years ago. He has â€˜been there and done that,â€™ he refers to his initial hunger for fame. And he talks of newfound fame as something that scars and scorches and something that he doesnâ€™t ever want to go back to. Thatâ€™s all in the past. Atif may be on a journey to unparalleled heights â€“ who knows where life takes him next â€“ but heâ€™s already managed to assimilate unprecedented stardom for a Pakistani artiste and heâ€™s aware of it. Itâ€™s obvious in his lazy smile and the confidence of his casual posture. Itâ€™s more than that, obviously when he pelts out one hit song after the other on stage.

We meet in his hotel room, two hours before he is scheduled to perform and while Atif loves to talk, he keeps his voice low and controlled, to protect those precious chords that have carried him on to where he is today. He nurtures a sense of spirituality beyond his rock star status; when he talks, it appears he is grateful for his success but at the same time aware of his abilities that have allowed him this success. He epitomizes the oxymoron of being an arrogant saint, if there ever was one.

And â€˜Tajdar e Haram,â€™ an ode to the Prophet (P.B.U.H.), was the biggest hit of 2015.

â€œIt was a huge thing for me,â€ we begin talking. â€œIt felt like God really wanted me to do it. Sabri sung it so well a long time back and it was a very tough job because the qawwali was 21 minutes long and we cut it down to ten minutes. Bilal and Faisal were worried about how we would air it so I told them to let me make my version of it. I compiled it, keeping in mind that we will get criticized for it but I really donâ€™t care about that. All by the grace of God it went well and itâ€™s the most requested song today.â€

â€˜Tajdar e Haramâ€™ is the most requested song, even beyond Pakistan. It plays in Hindu households all over India and in Lahore, Atif shares, there are young Christian boys who work at the petrol pump he frequents; they begin their day by playing the qawali out loud. What does he take away from it?

â€œLong time back, before I even started off with my career, I had my share of hard times in my life and school days,â€ Atif reminisces. â€œFor me the Durud Shareef was one thing that used to help me get out of every problem, petty to huge; I had full faith in it. Iâ€™m not able to practice so much but I am a very religious person at heart.â€

Itâ€™s this reverence that Atif carries on stage; deeply imbedded beneath the impresario that incites screams from hysterical fans is a man who has found confidence in his faith and spirituality. And heâ€™s possessive of â€˜Tajdar e Haramâ€™, â€œrecitingâ€ it only when the audience is sober enough to give it the respect it deserves.

â€œI am very possessive about this qawwali,â€ he agrees, smiling.

Atif is also very possessive about his private space. He may be the focal point of social media obsession in Pakistan, but he has clearly put a distance between professional and personal spaces.

â€œWhy would I want to put up pictures of myself going to the bathroom, having breakfast,â€ he asks? â€œThere should be distance and some personal space. I try to interact with my fans on Instagram by replying to them personally and I post funny things on Facebook as well. I think social media is just a tool to update people about yourself and to introduce new things. If I post something on social media after 10 days I make sure itâ€™s entertaining as opposed to posting something inane everyday.â€

Atif is wary of social media, careful to use it as opposed to being used by it and he feels the same way about the industry at large. People believe Atif Aslam is inaccessible and for most part of it, unaffordable. He laughs at the innuendo of a 10-million rupee demand for performing at a private concert.

â€œYeah thatâ€™s true,â€ he says in a way that itâ€™s impossible to decipher whether heâ€™s being serious or sarcastic. â€œBut look, I have managed to get the music season back in action. Look at the Coke Studio season this year,â€ he refers to â€˜Tajdar e Haramâ€™ and Mai Dhai, who he holds in very high regard. Just recently, at the success concert of Ho Mann Jahaanâ€™s soundtrack, Atif â€“ scheduled as the grand finale â€“ made a quick trip to the stage when she was performing and paid his respects.

â€œMai Dhai is the real star, believe me,â€ he says passionately. â€œI love her because sheâ€™s amazing; her voice is so amazing that whenever I listen to her it takes me into a different zone. Her voice has its own beauty. I feel that her voice is so powerful because she sings at those melas (carnivals) that usually donâ€™t have any microphones. I love that kind of singing, which is really raw because there are no rules; youâ€™re not trapped in a cage and youâ€™re free to sing however you want. That is exactly what Mai Dhai does. I feel she should be a bigger star than I am.â€

Do you miss Reshma? Does Mai Dhai remind you of her, I ask?

â€œYes definitely, there is some sort of a similarity in their voices,â€ Atif says. â€œI had a very different bond with Reshma; I remember the whole industry stood up and gave a round of applause when we performed together (at the Lux Style Awards). I remember that she called me backstage and told me, in Punjabi, that the song you sang todayâ€¦ â€˜Puttar tuh ajj mainoo jawaan kar dittaâ€™ (son, today you have made me young again). This was a huge compliment for me and I was literally blown away.â€

There arenâ€™t many people in the industry that Atif is as inclined to. Now that he lives between Dubai and Lahore, now that his work keeps him abroad as much as it brings him to Pakistan, there is an obvious disconnect between him and the music industry. He has no friends in the industry he works in, something he makes no bones about.

â€œThere are no friendships in this industry, itâ€™s just work,â€ he makes no pretenses at all. â€œThere are â€˜friendsâ€™ who are there just when they need you. This is the maximum level of friendship in this industry, nothing more.

He talks of the trend of hiring PROs (Public Relation Officers) for media and event management and how they take advantage of the celebrities they represent. â€œPR Agencies in Pakistan and India work the same way,â€ he refers to financial exploitation in cutting underhand deals. He refuses to fall into that trap.

â€œPeople can think whatever they want, it doesnâ€™t really matter,â€ he continues with the self-assurance of someone who doesnâ€™t need to care. â€œIf you think Iâ€™m unapproachable and that I donâ€™t talk to anyone, good for me. For me, my family is more important, my music is more important to me. Why would I want to socialize randomly?â€

Atif Aslam in the spotlight

Atif continues, talking about his family and how his wife

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