It was a trip back in time, a trip to Pakistan’s first music rivalry, when old friends and country’s first two pop-singing legends- Alamgir and Muhammad Ali Shehki- met after almost 35 years.
Both need no introduction as they ruled Pakistan’s airwaves for years and the bittersweet rivalry led both towards stardom.
The old friends met during ARY News’ “The Morning Show” a surprise which left both old friends and once professional rivals teary eyed for a while.
The host Sanam Baloch challenged Alamgir to recognise his friend’s voice who was singing an Alamgir hit “Dekh Tera Kya Rang Kardiya” backstage, though Alamgir couldn’t figure out if it was Shehki, he couldn’t control his tears when he saw Shehki.
Followed by a hug, the two reminisced how the bittersweet competition made them Pakistan’s top pop singers of 70s and 80s.
“We both started our careers together and we used to compete but the rivalry was strictly professional, due to this competition, we both became stars,” said Alamgir adding that he used to think Shehki hated him back then.
Shehki, on the other hand, said that he pays tribute to Alamgir for paying tribute to him means paying tribute to God for it is God who gave him all the talent.
As if the reunion was not enough to make their fans nostalgic, the duo sang each other’s hits like Shehki’s “Meri Ankhon Se Is Dunya Ko Dekho”, Alamgir’s “Yeh Shaam or Tera Naam” and the evergreen “Dekha Na Thaa”
Sharing the same mentor, both Alamgir and Shehki ruled the Pakistani pop scene in 70s and 80s and gave hits after hits.
Their music albums (then sold in cassettes) sold like hot cakes back then making both of them household names. Their fame also took them to then a flourishing film industry in Pakistan where they gave established singers like Ahmed Rushdi and Saleem Raza a run for their money.
Alamgir’s “Yeh Shaam“, “Dekha Na Thaa” and Shehki’s “Humma Humma” are still considered Pakistan’s earliest pop hits.
