Lucky Ali

Lucky, born Maqsood Mehmood Ali, son of the comedian Mehmood, first drew attention with the ballad O Sanam from the album Sunoh, filmed amidst the pyramids of Egypt. The album Sunoh sold over 4,00,000 copies and catapulted Lucky Ali to fame. The album won him several awards, including Best Pop Male Vocalist at the 1996 Screen Awards, the Channel [V] Viewers` Choice Award (1997) and stayed on the MTV Asia Charts for 60 weeks. Lucky used to breed race horses, and also sold carpets in a friend`s showroom. He then worked on an oil rig in Pondicherry. Then Sunoh happened, while Lucky was still contemplating a full-time career.

Lucky`s second album, Sifar (zero) was released by Sony music in 1998. The album is a journey into the human soul, and starts from the beginning. Each song speaks of discovery. Lucky maintains his soulful ballad style, and the canvas of the album is large and varied. Unlike other music stars, Lucky is unassuming and God fearing. He is happily settled in New Zealand with his lovely Kiwi wife Masoom and two adorable children, Tasmia and Tahafuz. He loves open spaces, and is inspired by the splendour of nature. He loves horses, and relates very much to their easy-going attitude. After tasting success in pop music , lucky stepped into the Bollywood Music in a film Kaho Na Pyar Hai with a bang. The 2 songs which he rendered for the film were master pieces.

There is something about his eyes. It is difficult to break contact as Lucky Ali tries to reach with in you. His debut album, Sunoh, written off by some as `sugary pop`, has found plenty of listeners. It certainly helps that Lucky is an extremely attractive man. Reserved, but not unforthcoming, he does not come across as a `wannabe`. Most of Lucky`s songs are lilting melodies and the lyrics.

Lucky, born Maqsood Ali Khan, is the second of Mehmood`s eight children. He also happens to be the nephew of Meena Kumari, one of the great actresses to grace the Indian screen.. "As far as doing something was concerned," says Lucky, "I always assumed I would be an actor. As did the people around me." And act, he did. First, in Shyam Benegal`s Trikaal, where he played Erasmo, the young Portuguese doctor who comes home to get married. He worked with Benegal again in Discovery of India, in which he played Ashoka`s brother Tissa, who was instrumental in drawing him towards a path of non-violence.

In more recent times, he also acted in the television serial, Zara Hatke. "I did not enjoy the experience, though," confesses Lucky, "because of production hitches, delays and other problems on the set." Ali is not an actor in the sense of someone who pretends to be something he is not. "I have always played myself on screen; this has always been reflected in my choice of roles

He is now settled in Oakland, New Zealand, where he farms potatoes in between working on his new album!