Pakistan's most popular singer shines among stars such as Shaan, Malaika, and Bipasha Basu
By Murtaza Ali Shah and Aisha Jamil

 It will be noexaggeration to say that Atif Aslam is Pakistan's biggest heartthrob and popstar. Over the last decade, the singer, who found fame with Jal's hit debutsingle 'Aadat', has come a very long way.

Performing for the second time at London'sspectacular O2, Atif Aslam proved that he is an incredible singer and performerwho has found his confidence and niche and can command thousands to his beats.At the glittering Bollywood Showstopper concert, Atif performed with a dazzlingcast of Indian celebrities, which included singer Shaan, the glamorousBollywood icon Bipasha Basu, and dancing queen Malaika Arora Khan. The creditfor arranging this show for the second year running and for bringing Atif Aslamand Bollywood megastars goes to Naz Chaudhry of the Bolly Flex Productions, adance troupe.  

Even Atif's wedding, a few days earlier, could notinterfere with the connection he has with his loyal fans. Indeed, it seems heput his honeymoon on hold to please the screaming crowds, who were notdisappointed. 
"I have brought my wife with me and soon after theshows are over, I am off to honeymoon in London and elsewhere in Europe,” Atiftold Instep on Sunday during an exclusive interview after the Showstopper pressconference. "My wife has attended my concerts regularly and it will be a joy toperform before her in London,” said the singer. 

Atif made Pakistan proud having won Sur Kshetra -the hit TV competition featuring singers from India and Pakistan battling itout for the top prize - where Pakistani singer Nabeel took the crown underAtif's captaincy. The singer, when asked by Instep on Sunday whether he feltpressure by the presence of Shaan and a demanding, albeit loyal crowd at theO2, he said confidently, "I have no fears. I don't take pressure. I giveeverything to my performances and Allah has been very kind to me.”

And how right he was. The show belonged to him andhe was the real showstopper, as he belted out one song after another during twohours of live performance. Atif Aslam created various beautiful momentsinteracting with the audience, running on and off the stage into the crowd, heeven interacted with the disabled section of the crowd and sung to them. Hesaid, "I loved London, I wanted to perform for two more hours, and the energyin the room was mind blowing”.

Bipasha Basu at the press conference had toldInstep on Sunday that she often listens to Atif Aslam's songs and shared, "I amhis number one fan. Music is the best vehicle to promote understanding and ourmusic brings people together. Artists are more concerned with music and theirart than anything else and this is a way of building bridges too.”

At the concert, Bipasha repeated her admirationfor the Pakistani stud. She stated that she was excited to perform in the UKafter such a long time, especially with both Shaan and Atif, who she said werereally talented men. "They are incredible singers. A huge bundle of talent.” 

She performed all her hit numbers and dance movesfrom her films and also picked a lucky boy from the audience to come and joinher on stage. She performed very elegantly and both arenas lit up with cameraphones the second she took to the stage. 

Malaika Arora said that she was super-excited toperform her item numbers in front of an adoring crowd. She said she has been atthe O2 many times for concerts - including once to watch Justin Bieber perform- but performing her own songs was special to her. 

Malaika performed spectacularly, everything fromher presence, her interaction with the dancers and her comical expressions andversatility was flawless. 

The dancing queen left audiences in awe, wantingmore. She said, "I loved the whole experience, the dancers and choreographersin the UK were amazing, this was one of my best performances to date, I wouldlove to do more tours with them”. 

The show was opened by the dancers and then Shaantook over the stage with his band. The playback singer was at his amazing best.Besides his own songs, he tried his vocals on some of the fastest pop tracks ofBollywood and proved his diverse vocal range. He connected with the crowd verywell and involved them too. The singer praised the crowd for their enthusiasm.

One of Shaan's most memorable moments was comingthrough the audience on the O2 London stage for his entry; he made the audiencejump up and down in Birmingham, and controlled the tempo of the arena. He sung27 songs back-to-back. 

While all the stars did an outstanding job, thehosts of the show, and the stars themselves made sure they mentioned afterevery number, that Atif Aslam was soon to come on stage, and at every mentionof his name the crowd went crazy chanting his name. 

When Atif finally did make it to the stage, thewarm up was the perfect introduction to the main act and a hugely enthusiasticaudience welcomed one of Pakistan's most popular vocalists on stage to roaringapplause. Atif has reached a global audience on a phenomenal level and is agreat ambassador for Pakistan. The hosts announced that this concert was aspecial one for Atif because not only was it his honeymoon concert but on thesame day the singer reached a milestone when the number of his followersreached 5 million. 

He began in true rock star style. He belted outhit after hit, for two hours, reaching vocal highs. A strong voice and melodictunes made for the perfect recipe. There was not a single song which theaudience didn't remember verbatim and sang along to. 

In between his songs, he sang with only thekeyboardist providing the music. This was the same band lineup that had touredwith Atif everywhere. It will be unfair not to pay tribute to Atif's band onguitars, keyboards and drums. Combined, they gave an unforgettable treat.Through every beat and riff, the band members gelled exceptionally well andthere was not a single broken chord. They were at ease and their timing wasperfect.
Home or away, his fans - and even those who arenot- know Atif is a force to reckon with; and the Bollywood Showstopper showfurther cemented that belief.