"Ko Ko Korina" (

Urdu Urdu (;"Urdu"
''

Armaan'' and is considered the first

pop song Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former describe ...

of Pakistan, and often of all South Asia. Produced during the Golden Age of Pakistani cinema, the song's lyrics were written by

Masroor Anwar Masroor Anwar (6 January 1944 – 1 April 1996) was a ghazal poet, film song lyricist and a film screenwriter. He wrote the lyrics for 'Ko Ko Korina', South Asia's first pop song, and working alongside Sohail Rana, film director Pervez M ...

and the music composed by

Sohail Rana Sohail Rana (born 31 March 1938) is a Pakistani music composer for films and television. He was introduced by actor Waheed Murad in Pakistan film industry and gained popularity when singer Ahmed Rushdi sang his compositions in such films as A ...

Ahmed Rushdi ), Rushdi Sahab ( ur, ) , birth_date = , birth_place = Hyderabad Deccan, British India , death_date = , death_place = Karachi, Pakistan , origin = Pakistani , instrument = Vocalist , genre = ...

was the

playback singer A playback singer, also known as a ghost singer, is a singer whose singing is pre-recorded for use in films. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras; the actual singer does not app ...

, with actor

Waheed Murad Waheed Murad ( ur, ; 2 October 1938 – 23 November 1983), also known as Chocolate Hero, was a Pakistani film actor, producer and script writer. Famous for his charming expressions, attractive personality, tender voice and unusual talent for a ...

lip-syncing.

Background

In 1966, actor-producer Waheed Murad made his film ''Armaan'' in which Sohail Rana came up with a pop song "Ko ko Korina" which got a full house success not only all over the country but also all over South Asia. Playback singer Ahmed Rushdi recorded this song. Pakistani superstar Waheed Murad 1962

Following Rushdi's success,

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

bands specialising in

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

started performing at various night clubs and hotel lobbies in

Karachi Karachi (; ur, ; ; ) is the most populous city in Pakistan and 12th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 20 million. It is situated at the southern tip of the country along the Arabian Sea coast. It is the former cap ...

Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; bn, ঢাকা, Ḍhākā, ), formerly known as Dacca, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the world's largest Bengali-speaking city. It is the eighth largest and sixth most densely populated city ...

and

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city. ...

Remakes

The 2013

Geo TV Geo Television Network is a television channel based in Pakistan. It was established in May 2002 and is owned by the Jang Media Group. The channel began its test transmission on 14 August 2002, with regular transmission beginning on 1 October 2 ...

television film '' Armaan'', featured the song in a new version, with a few English lyrics. The song was sung by Sana Zulfiqar and

Aamir Zaki Aamir Zaki (April 8, 1968 – June 2, 2017) was a Saudi born Pakistani guitarist-songwriter and composer. Zaki is considered by many as one of the most influential guitarists in Pakistan's history. He is considered to be among the pioneers of Roc ...

, and was picturized on

Fawad Khan Fawad Afzal Khan ( ur, ) (born 29 November 1981) is a Pakistani actor, producer, screenwriter, model and singer having received several awards including a Filmfare Award, two Lux Style Awards and six Hum Awards. Khan began his acting caree ...

Aamina Sheikh Aamina Sheikh ( ur, ) is an American-Pakistani actress, songwriter and former fashion model. Sheikh has received critical appreciation for her work in the Urdu television series and art films, and is the recipient of four Lux Style Award from nin ...

, Jahanzaib Khan and Mahnoor Khan. In August 2018,

Coke Studio Coke Studio may refer to: * ''Coke Studio'' (Pakistan), a Pakistani television series featuring live music performances. * ''Coke Studio'' (India), an Indian television series featuring live music performances. * ''Coke Studio Bangla'', a Banglade ...

produced a remake of "Ko Ko Korina", originally lip-sync by Waheed Murad in the voices of

Momina Mustehsan Momina Mustehsan (; born 5 September 1992) is a Pakistani singer, musician, and social activist. In 2017, BBC named her one of the 100 Women (BBC), 100 most influential women, and the following year, ''Forbes'' featured her among its "30 Under ...

and

Ahad Raza Mir Ahad Raza Mir ( ur, ; born 29 September 1993) is a Pakistani actor who appears in Urdu television series. He has established a career in Pakistan and is the recipient of several awards including Lux Style Awards. Mir earned recognition with ...

. Their rendition of this Pakistani classic was widely criticized. Within a few days of the video being released on YouTube, it became the most-disliked video in the music show's 11-year history and raised nationwide hue and cry to the extent that Minister for Human Rights in Pakistan

Shireen Mazari Shireen Mehrunnisa Mazari ( ur, ) is a Pakistani politician who served the Federal Minister for Human Rights, from 20 August 2018 to 10 April 2022. She is the chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Appointment of Chief Election Commi ...

had to come out in media to term the remake as "horrendous". Waheed Murad's son Adil Murad also apologized from Pakistani nation for allowing Coke Studio a remake of the song. In 2022, ''Ko Ko Korina'' featured in the opening scene of

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

series Ms. Marvel (TV series) and won top ratings.

References

{{authority control 1966 songs Pakistani pop songs Urdu-language songs