Length 08:43 | Label Coke Studio | |
Released June 6, 2010 (2010-06-06) Genre Sufi Rock, Contemporary Folk Music, Folk Revival | ||
Alif Allah (Jugni) (Punjabi: (الف اللہ (جگنی) (also known as Alif Allah Chambe Di Booti) (Punjabi: الف اللہ چمبے دی بوٹی) is a Punjabi Sufi Song sung by Arif Lohar and Meesha Shafi in Coke Studio. The song was composed and sung by Arif Lohar with Meesha Shafi, and the lyrics were heavily inspired as well as incorporated 17th century Sufi poet Sultan Bahu.
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Alif Allah (Jugni) became a household name after being sung by Lohar and Shafi on Coke Studio. It became a massive hit, scoring over 28 million views on YouTube to date, and held the record for the most viewed Pakistani song on YouTube ever. Which has now been surpassed by a Qawwali Tajdar e Haram sung by Atif Aslam also in Coke Studio.
Adaptation in films
The song was used in Pakistani Lollywood Punjabi language film Jugni.
Due to the extreme popularity of the song, it was also later used in Bollywood film Cocktail where it was sung by Arif Lohar and Harshdeep Kaur.
It was further used in the 2012 film Diary of a Butterfly.
Jugni ji
Jugni Ji, literally meaning "female firefly" in English, has been adapted by a number of artists.
Kanika Kapoor and Dr Zeus version
The song gained further fame by a 2012 version by Bollywood singer Kanika Kapoor and Punjabi singer and music producer Dr Zeus. The retitled song "Jugni Ji", an adaptation of the original "Alif Allah", contained amended lyrics and won critical and commercial success in its own right. Vocals were performed by both singers appearing on the music video of the song. Kapoor/Dr Zeus version won the Best Single Award in 2012 at the Brit Asia TV Music Awards.
DJ Kayz version
In 2015, a new bilingual French/Punjabi version for the French-language market was released. This version by DJ Kayz features vocals by Mister You, Dr Zeus and Sophia Akkara. A separate music video was also released.
The song with amended lyrics including rap parts appeared in the album Paris Oran New York 2015 is as a fusion of Punjabi music and North African/French influences. This version has charted on SNEP, the official French Singles Charts peaking at number 47.