Seeing believes!' after having met the amazingly transformed Saleem Javed, one can easily believe in this statement. It's not the Saleem we have all been familiar with for years. As I waited for the singer to reach the rendezvous, in walked a person, whose body screamed that he'd been pumping iron, clad in fatigue pants and a body hugging T-shirt, sporting a Caesar cut with funky blue shades perched on top of the his nose. Looking away I did a double take when the same person walked up and said:

"Hi, I'm Saleem."

Was he for real? I thought.
"It's my new look for the millennium. I believe in changes. Whether it is my appearance or my music I'm all for innovation. In fact I was the first one to introduce the remix phenomenon. The first song being Madame Noor Jehan's Janam O Janam, a rock-oriented remix. Nobody dared experiment with it earlier."

"My music can be classified as western folk."

It was a gradual drift towards this style of music, he recounts:

"I wanted to be innovative by creating a fusion of local compositions with western arrangements."

Saleem claims to be the first in quite a few things - he was the trendsetter in sporting Samson-like long tresses-besides the remix phenomenon. He also maintains that he was the pioneer in the use of the cordless mike and initiated the trend of stepping off the stage during performances. He would uninhibitedly walk down to the audience and interact with them.

"They simply loved the fact that the performer was a part of them," says the man who came from Hyderabad years ago disgruntled and disheartened, to try his luck in the cosmopolitan.

How did he become a singer?
"Back home in Hyderabad I was always interested in singing but did not think I had what it takes to become one. My music teacher always encouraged me to take up singing, rather than playing the keyboard, which I used to practice. In fact, one day he inquired the reason for my not venturing into singing. He thought I was god-looking and had a good voice so why was I wasting my talents," reminisces, Saleem.

Having sowed the seeds in Saleem's fertile young mind, it was inevitable for him to plug into this field headlong. The initial going proved to be very good and he became an instant hit with the Hyderabadi masses.

People simply loved him in his concerts. So much so that when other band members would try to exercise their vocal cords at the same concerts, the audience would go wild demanding that Saleem return to the stage.

"I still remember the first concert with my band. When I was asked to sing I was hesitant as I only knew two songs. The people simply loved it. They wanted me to continue singing and I told them that knew only these two songs. They demanded that I sing the same song again and again, and again," he recalls laughingly.

Those fond memories are however still shadowed by what ensued after Saleem's success. His booming career helped him in creating more foes than friends. Very soon Saleem found himself out in the cold, as nobody from the music world wanted him to perform.

It was at this juncture that he decided to pack his cases and head straight to Karachi, which seemed more a refuge than any-thing else.

"My family was opposed to the idea of my becoming a singer. My parents were desirous that their son be highly educated." To be a singer was certainly not on.

"They refused to help me when I needed money for my journey to Karachi."

But Saleem was thoroughly disillusioned and not even wild horses could have held him back.

"I was sure I could do something. When I didn't get money from my family, I was left with no option but to borrow 50 rupees from a friend."

Once in town, Saleem was more or less at a loss as he did not have any friends who could help him attain his goals. He took shelter with some friends who were also from Hyderabad. The going was becoming tougher day by day.

"I had to work very hard with no help from any quarters. One day me friend took me to a party hosted by Zaheen Tahira. He informed all that I was a singer. At the request of the gathering I sang for them. All were impressed, especially Moin Akhter who was thrilled and complimented me on my singing. I was booked for a concert the very next day. The same evening Moin Akhtar approached me and said he wanted me to accompany him in all his shows. And I did just that," says the now content crooner.

With that Saleem Javed's life took a turn for the better, ironically, not for the best. The only shadow in his escalating career is that despite the fact that his compositions are good and that he has good music sense, he has failed to create a stir the way the less talented have.

He counters this assumption and retorts:
"I have always felt that I am a known artist. At concerts whenever all the clan is there, I get preference over others.

Unlike my peers and also my seniors, (Shyhaki and Alamgir being the ones he names who go to the TV station and are also permanent fixtures at producers' residences, I will only go to the station when called upon."

It seems Saleem's attitude miffed some of the producers who are used to being pampered and cared for by their talent. But it was in 1986 that he got his chance and was called to perform in Neelam Ghar. After that came a lull once again as the producers continued neglecting him.

"Instead of pursuing them I decided to direct my own videos." Which have certainly been good attempts. His persistence has resulted in quite a number of albums with his trademark music.

And so the father of three continues going strong despite all odds.

Quick Introduction

FULL NAME	MOHAMMAD SALEEM JAVED
NICK NAME	JAVED
DATE OF BIRTH	25th OF DECEMBER
PLACE OF BIRTH	HEYDERABAD, SINDH
ZODIAC SIGN	CAPRICON
HOBBIES	MOVIES AND MUSIC
FAVOURITE COLOUR	BLACK
FAVOURITE BOOK	ALL BOOKS RELATED TO MUSIC
FAVOURITE ACTORS	JIM CAREY, JACKIE CHAN, VAN DAM & WAHEED MURAD
FAVOURITE SINGERS	KISHORE KUMAR, ASHA BHOSLEY & MEHDI HASSAN
FAVOURITE MUSIC	FOLK & POP
FAVOURITE SONGS	EK BAR, JUGNI & BAARISH
FAVOURITE INSTRUMENTS	MANUAL INSTRUMENTS
FAVOURITE SEASON	WINTER
FAVOURITE DRESS	JEANS & JACKET
FAVOURITE COUNTRY	PAKISTAN
FAVOURITE CAR	ALL SPORTS CARS
FAVOURITE FOOD	CHINESE
FAVOURITE DRINK	ORANGE JUICE
FAVOURITE PET	CAT
LIKES	HONEST PEOPLE.
DISLIKES	LIES