Aap Jaisa Koi

"Aap Jaisa Koi"
Song by Nazia Hassan from the album Qurbani
Released	20 June 1980
Recorded	1980
Genre	Disco, Filmi, Film score, Indi-pop, Pakistani pop
Length	3:45
Writer(s)	Biddu

"Aap Jaisa Koi" is a 1980 Indian Hindi song from the film Qurbani. It was composed by Biddu and was sung by the Pakistani pop singer, Nazia Hassan. It was Nazia's first song. The song was featured in the film as an item number.

History

Feroz Khan was a famous leading actor of Bollywood in the early 1960s. As time passed, he became a director and he acted as a leading actor in many of his films and most of his films of the 1960s and 1970s were hit in the box office. After two decades of popularity as an actor and director, Feroz made another movie, Qurbani. He wanted to create a new song titled "Aap Jaisa Koi" for the film. A friend of Feroz's introduced the 15-year-old Nazia Hassan, a UK-based Pakistani to Feroz. Nazia was a child singer in Pakistan during the 1970s. She was offered to sing "Aap Jaisa Koi" and she accepted the offer. She provided the vocals for the song. It was recorded at a length of 3 minutes and 45 seconds. The video of the song was recorded as an item number by the leading actress of Hindi cinema Zeenat Aman.

Success

"Aap Jaisa Koi" became a superhit song in India and overseas and Qurbani became a hit movie at the box office. The singer of this song Nazia Hassan, gained overnight fame in India and also became famous in her own country, Pakistan, due to this song. "Aap Jaisa Koi" marked for the first time that a Pakistani singer sang for India. The song became so popular, that Nazia, despite being a Pakistani, won a Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer for this song in 1981. She set the record for being the youngest recipient of the award at the age of 15. "Aap Jaisa Koi" has also been covered by the world's premier South Asian a cappella group Penn Masala, and their cover was featured in the 2001 American film, American Desi.