Altaf Hussain Tafu Khan (born 1945), better known as Ustad Tafu or simply Tafoo, is a Pakistani musician from Lahore, Pakistan known as a 'master

tabla A tabla, bn, তবলা, prs, طبلا, gu, તબલા, hi, तबला, kn, ತಬಲಾ, ml, തബല, mr, तबला, ne, तबला, or, ତବଲା, ps, طبله, pa, ਤਬਲਾ, ta, தபலா, te, తబల� ...

player'. Ustad Tafu is especially adept at playing the musical instrument ''Tabla'' . Ustad Tafu has also been associated with Coke Studio in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 243 million people, and has the world's second-lar ...

.Ustad Tafu profile on Coke Studio (Pakistan) website
Retrieved 26 December 2021 He is the father of musicians Tariq Tafu, Tanveer Tafu, and Sajjad Tafu.

Early life and career

Ustad Tafu was born in Lahore, Pakistan to a musician's family, "a part of a musical legacy that spans seven generations." Tafu started his career in 1970 when his first film song, as music director, sung by

Noor Jehan Noor Jehan ( Punjabi: ) (born () Allah Rakhi Wasai ; 23 September 1926 – 23 December 2000; sometimes spelled Noorjehan),Ashish Rajadhyaksha and Paul Willemen, ''Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema,'' British Film Institute, Oxford University Pres ...

was featured in movie ''Anwara'' (1970). Ahead in the following year 1971, one of his hit chartbusters-- ''Mahi Keh Gaya Milan Ga Main Fer Aa Ke Te Dass Ke Tareekh Na Gaya'', released in movie Sajawal. Another film song was in film ''Sohra Te Jawai'' (1980), sung by

, lyrics by

Khawaja Pervez Khawaja Pervez ( ur, ), (28 December 1930 – 20 June 2011) was a prominent Pakistani film composer- lyricist and film songwriter for both Urdu and Punjabi language films. His real name was Khawaja Ghulam Mohiuddin. His professional car ...

"Rab jane sahnoon te tu maar suttia". Ustad Tafu has composed music for over 100 films and has worked with music artists such as

Shaukat Ali Shaukat Ali, also known as Shaukat Ali Khan, (3 May 1944 – 2 April 2021) was a Pakistani folk singer. Early life and career Born on 3 May 1944, into a family of artists in Malakwal, a town in District Gujrat (now falls in new District Mand ...

Inayat Hussain Bhatti Inayat Hussain Bhatti ( ur, ), (12 January 1928 – 31 May 1999) was a Pakistani film playback singer, film actor, producer, director, script writer, social worker, columnist, religious scholar and a promoter of the development of the Punj ...

Naheed Akhtar Naheed Akhtar (also spelled Nahid Akhtar) is a Pakistani playback singer. She is tagged as the "''Nightingale of Pakistan''". She was the top Lollywood playback singer during the second half of 70s and 80s. She won 3 Nigar Awards and a Pride ...

and

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan ( pa, ; born Pervez Fateh Ali Khan; 13 October 1948 – 16 August 1997) was a Pakistani singer, songwriter, and music director. He was primarily a singer of qawwali — a form of Sufi devotional music. Sometimes ...

. Ustad Tafu showcased his

playing skills at the Coke Studio Pakistan (season 7) along with musicians

Bilal Maqsood Bilal Maqsood (Urdu: بلال مقصود) is a Pakistani guitarist, composer, and a founding member of Strings. He has also directed a number of music videos. For Bilal and his band Strings, success came in 1992 after the launch of the song ''S ...

and the Pakistani

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, earl ...

music group Strings (band). In 2017, Ustad Tafu claimed in an interview that he first introduced

Naseebo Lal ''Nasibo'' (also spelled as ''Naseebo'') is a 1994 Indian Punjabi-language film, directed by Manmohan Singh, starring Raj Babbar, Kavita Kamal ( Kimi Verma), Preeti Sapru, Amitoj Maan and others. Gurdas Maan gave a special appearance. Plot ...

as a playback singer in the Pakistani film industry. He also comes from an extended family of film score composers –

Master Inayat Hussain Master Inayat Hussain (Punjabi, ur, ; 1916 – 26 March 1993) was a Pakistani film music composer. Early life and career Inayat Hussain was born in the Bhati Gate area of Lahore in 1916.Adil Omar Adil Omar (born 17 May 1991) is a recording artist, rapper, record producer, singer and songwriter from Islamabad, Pakistan. He released his debut album and film, ''Transcendence'', on 8 July 2018. In addition to being a solo artist, he is also ...

's album Transcendence as an arranger, percussionist and playing harmonium for "We Need to Talk About Adil."

Some of his films as a musician

* Sajawal (1971) * Ik Madari (1973) * Wehshi Gujjar (1979) * ''Dubai Chalo'' (1979) * ''Sohra Te Jawai (1980) * Charda Suraj (1982) * Des Pardes (1983) *

Madam Rani ''Madame Rani'' (Urdu ) is a 1995 Pakistani Punjabi language action film, Directed by Masood Butt and produced by Haji Mohammad Aslam, the film stars actors Nadeem, Anjuman, Sultan Rahi, Ghulam Mohiuddin, Reema Khan and Nargis.

(1995)

Some of Ustad Tafu's popular songs

Awards and recognition

Nigar Award The Nigar Awards ( ur, , translit=Inʿām Negār, lit=Picture Awards) were presented in an annual award show to recognize outstanding achievement in Pakistani cinema. The honors are awarded by Nigar Magazine founded in 1948. The Nigar Awards ...

for Best Music in film ''Dubai Chalo'' (1979)

References

External links

* Tabla players Pakistani percussionists Pakistani musicians Living people 1945 births Pakistani composers Pakistani film score composers Nigar Award winners Coke Studio (Pakistani TV program) {{Pakistan-musician-stub