From Race to Manforce: Atif’s ‘Pehli Nazar’ is really ‘going (strange) places’

One is always glad to see Pakistani musicians being featured on Bollywood soundtracks: they’ve produced some fantastic gems such as Shafqat Amanat Ali’s ‘Mitwa’ and Rahat Fateh Ali’s ‘Mann Ki Lagan’ that have given them a huge fan following across the border. But Atif Aslam’s ‘Pehli Nazar’ – originally done for the hit 2008 film Race – has really crossed the border.

We were quite surprised to see the song being featured in a sleazy advertisement for condoms by a brand called Manforce that is currently running on the Indian music channel 9XM. While using songs in advertisements – even those for condoms – isn’t a bad idea, the fact that the Manforce ad is so seedy and has such a C-grade Bollywood feel to it makes one feel Atif’s song is being dragged down in the mud. The advertisement features an actor who was in last year’s hit Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, Ayaz Khan (who plays Genelia D’ Souza’s fiancé Sushant Modi) and the ad is ridden with innuendo and raunchy scenes.

Now we wonder whether Atif knows that his song is being debased in such a manner – or if it is out of his control given that we assume his Indian record label has copyrights to his songs. Instep Today contacted Atif repeatedly but we’re still waiting to hear back from him.

– Source: Instep Today