Birthday Jukebox: Lucky Ali Is the Sufi Soul on Your Playlist

On singer, actor, songwriter Lucky Ali’s 59th birthday, we bring back his best tracks on our playlist.

Lucky Ali, the sound of the sufi soul.

(Photo: Twitter/@kanagal)

Lucky Ali added a note to the spectrum of popular music that symbolised the sound of a yearning heart. His sort of nasal, yet soulful touch, took the music video scene in India by storm, back in the 90s. On the singer, actor, songwriter’s 59th birthday, as we wonder why he’s missing in action, we dig out some of his oldie goldies and get this playlist going. This will be one helluva nostalgic trip.

Sunoh, the album that started it all! Not only was Lucky Ali the only artist at the time whose music sounded a bit like AR Rahman’s, but also his light eyes and classy videos really stood out. This track from his first album Sunoh, took us to the pyramids in Egypt and really had a vagabond traveller’s charm to it.

I don’t quite remember if this one had a music video, but I loved it for its simplicity. Just Lucky and a guitar. And it’s such an easy number to hum along with. I had this playing on loop especially on long drives, and remember thinking that Lucky Ali’s voice pretty much suited any and every landscape that I drove through. Pretty incredible.

Nahin Rakhta Dil Mein is still a favourite and even though the story being narrated through the video isn’t the most happy one, the song itself is full of hope. This one has always lifted me out of my blues and I still love Lucky Ali’s casual, arty, traveller aura.

While his 1996 album Sunoh made him the ‘Best Pop Male Vocalist’ at the Channel V Viewers Choice Awards, it also stayed on MTV Asia charts for sixty weeks! His first album ever was definitely his best. My tape recorder literally chewed up the Sunoh cassette I owned, trying to wrap its head around the merciless concept of ‘playing on loop’.

This number by Lucky Ali is all about love for the motherland. His soulful voice really brings out the story of a village boy returning home, having travelled the world but realising at the end, that there’s no place like home.

Oh and remember Tere Mere Saath Jo Hota Hai from his last album Aks? Lucky Ali transformed our visual landscape with this one. Shot in what looks like South America, the international-groovy-carnival feel that this one had was just epic. Arresting colours and camera frames, topped with interesting looking people that we hadn’t seen so closely, till this video came out.

And then the sufi musician turned to Bollywood, starting a whole new rage. Ek Pal Ka Jeena from Kaho Na Pyaar Hai not only marked Hrithik Roshan’s arrival in Bollywood, but also Lucky Ali’s, who sung this dance number. Hrithik’s dance moves and Ali’s nasal pitch made this song unforgettable.

And this Lucky Ali number become the love song of the year. His voice seems to be bouncing off the mountains against which Ameesha Patel and Hrithik Roshan hallucinate about each other.

When the music video craze in India began to die down, Lucky Ali brought out the actor in him and turned to on-screen roles, starting with the Amitabh Bahchchan, Sanjay Dutt starrer Kante. He wasn’t very convincing as an actor, unlike his comedian father, the legendary Mehmood. But we do remember his heavy metal inspired Maut soundtrack. No praise for this one frankly. Lucky was a sufi at heart who should’ve just stuck to his stringy musafir melodies.

The last Lucky Ali number I recall, after which he seems to have vanished from the Indian music and film scene, was Aa Bhi Jaa from a complicated love saga named Sur. This track had a fair bit of resonance, but it’s not a speck on the music he created back in the 90s that had us humming along effortlessly.

We miss you Lucky Ali. Happy Birthday, wherever you are.

(This article is from The Quint’s archives and was first published on 19 September 2015. It is now being republished to mark Lucky Ali’s birthday.)