Ali Zafar’s first visit to India was in 2005, a time when he was promoting his debut album Huqa Paani. While travelling through the country, the Pakistani musician noticed the impact Bollywood has on people. He reminisces, “I remember telling my friend, ‘Idhar Bollywood hi Bollywood hai yaar. Even I want to be a part of it’.

” The friend, however, had discouraged Zafar, explaining that the industry is already brimming with talent and that if no other Pakistani actors have succeeded in Bollywood previously, he has little chance. But Zafar had been adamant. “I told my friend that I didn’t know how, but I will make it,” laughs the actor. It is probably this conviction, combined with hard work and the much-needed stroke of luck, that has paid off for him. Now, he considers himself a “permanent” member of Bollywood.

When Zafar started out as a musician in Pakistan in 2003, acting was just a hobby. “I did a few TV shows in my country, including the popular College Jeans. This was only to earn some pocket money so that I could record my music albums,” he states. But the popularity of his albums, made him a familiar face in the subcontinent. And that is how director Abhishek Sharma spotted him. It was in Sharma’s film Tere Bin Laden (TBL) in 2010 that Zafar made his Bollywood debut.

A political satire, TBL was a hit and the industry welcomed the actor into the fold. He followed this up with another box-office success, Mere Brother Ki Dulhan in 2011. But Zafar’s biggest-project-yet is Anu Menon’s London Paris New York where he plays the solo male lead for the first time. Apart from that, the musician-actor has also composed the music for the film and lent his voice to his character. Later in the year, he will be seen in David Dhawan’s remake of Chashme Buddoor, where he will reinterpret the role Faroque Shaikh played in the original.