New Delhi: The jury is out in Pakistan, and it doesn’t look good for British-Pakistani pop star Zayn Malik. The 13-second teaser of his yet-to-be-released album has not gone down well with Pakistani fans. Over the last three days since he dropped a video on Instagram and Twitter, fans in Pakistan have ripped it apart for its shoddy production and cringe factor.
“Watching your childhood crush turning into a Gutka thukne wala (one who chews tobacco) Maila cruising around Mizar e Quaid is so painful,” wrote one Twitter user, referring to the Mazar-e-Quaid in Karachi, which is the final resting place of the country’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
Watching your childhood crush turning into a Gutka thukne wala Maila cruising around Mizar e Quaid is so painful https://t.co/d7wlZ1rwQw
— Nimra (@Burqaa_Avenger) July 4, 2023
Zayn was also criticised for looking too Pakistani, which local media like The Express Tribune picked up.
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The infamous teaser
In the video, Malik can be seen pulling a black-red leather jacket over himself, lighting a cigarette, riding a bike and staring into the distance on a bridge overseeing the city. The images have lent themselves to memes and gifs with commentators saying it looks like it has been shot in Mumbai’s Bandra East, the less hip step-sibling for Bandra West, home to Bollywood stars like Shah Rukh Khan and Amir Khan. Others questioned the millions of dollars that may have been pumped into the production likening it to something a teenager would make.
Another user, while referring to the hair theory which suggests that the way a person wears his/her hair changes the way in which they are perceived, wrote: “hair theory is real cant believe Zayn Malik looks so chapri (thug).”
hair theory is real cant believe zayn malik looks so chapri https://t.co/RtE5mPzOLY
— real not manu (@baekyonglvr) July 5, 2023
But in the entertainment industry, where any publicity is good publicity, Malik (30) is perhaps laughing on his way to the bank. His post on Twitter already has 10 million views.
The teaser elicited similar reactions from many fans around the world who criticised it for the production quality and plot.
“Sorry but this was so rempit. the uninteresting background and fit and those lame tiktok line filters,” wrote one user.
sorry but this was so rempit. the uninteresting background and fit and those lame tiktok line filters 😭😭😭😭 (participating in this hate bcs hes famous and im just a peanut) https://t.co/PZEp0LJbBu
— redz 🌈✨ (@izaacredzuan) July 6, 2023
Born in Bradford to an English-Irish mother and a Pakistani father, Malik rose to fame in his teens when he appeared as a solo performer on the television show The X Factor. At the insistence of judges Simon Cowell and Nicole Scherzinger, Malik joined hands with four other solo performers to form a new act — the ‘boy band’ which came to be known as One Direction.
Between their first album in 2011 and their fourth album in 2014, One Direction became a household name and Malik among its poster boys.
Since parting ways with One Direction, Malik has released four solo albums. The recently released teaser of his upcoming album invited three categories of responses on Instagram—some asked why he unfollowed pop icon and rumoured fling Selena Gomez, a few others requested him to return to Islam, while some simply responded with chants of Jai Shri Ram.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)