If you are familiar with the cringe content the unimaginable ‘sensations’ share on the internet, there is a chance you came across Ustad Chahat Fateh Ali Khan at some point. First, it is of utmost importance to make it clear that Chahat is in no way related to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan or Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. His real name is Kashif Rana. He was born in Pakistan and currently drives a minicab in London.
The 56-year-old “singer” is believed to have taken the screen name “Chahat Fateh Ali Khan” without taking due permission from the musician’s family. Inspired by the legendary singers, Chahat started making videos and posted them on social media during the Covid-19 lockdown. His fans describe him as an expert in not just qawwali but other genres, including pop, classical, Bollywood and more. He has become so famous that, believe it or not, people have started calling him for weddings. We don’t know the motive behind hiring him to entertain people at weddings, but it could be hate for the relatives.
Anyway, he has recently made headlines for his new release “Ye Jo Pyaara PSL Hai”. PSL is Pakistan Super League. It is the ‘Bhikhari’ version of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Six teams represent different cities every year in PSL. The first tournament was held in 2016 with five teams. The song’s lyrics are similar to his old release, “Yeh Jo Jhanda Hai”.
In an interview on the Pakistani news channel PNN with Fiza Riaz and Wajahat Khan, Chahat claimed that it took him a week to write, compose, record and release the song. He has released five songs in the last six months. PSL song was his sixth release. He further added that he completed seven years as a singer on January 11, 2023. He claimed to have spent eight hours every day practising during the lockdown.
When Chahat started singing his sensational song Tun Tunaa Tun, Riaz lost control of her laughter. He explained it was a “dance number”. Okay, Chahat, we agree it is a dance number, but there was no need to show the ‘dance moves’.
Yeh Jo Jhanda hai, ismein Danda hai…
Six months ago, in August 2022, he released a sensational song on Pakistan’s Independence Day. The lyrics of the song are, “Yeh jo jhanda hai, Yeh jo pyara jhanda hai, yeh jo kaumi parcham hai, yeh jo sohna jhanda hai, yeh jo jhanda hai, oh ismein… oh ismein danda hai… on ismein danda hai.” Before saying ‘danda’, he started doing the Bhangra, and the background music was also pumped up to match his dance moves.
Chahat writes, composes, records and releases his songs himself without any support from a label. He held numerous live sessions on Facebook during lockdown that helped in gaining traction and increasing his fan base.
Chahat reminds me of Mankind Angel fame Taher Shah
Chahat is not the only sensation in the cringe music genre. Another famous Pakistani in the genre was Taher Shah of Mankind Angel fame. Sadly, the cringe star has not produced any song for the last two years. Some reports suggested he left singing after receiving death threats.
If you are interested in exploring similar talent from India, the recent sensation Anam Ali will be the best choice.
