Qazi Touqeer bagged Fame Gurukul in 2005 with a record number of public votes that no other contestant on Indian television had garnered until then, and the President of India has termed him the Hero of Kashmir. He was just twenty-years-old and had not taken even one singing class.
Qazi is the first ever winner from the Kashmir Valley on a national-level prime-time reality TV show, he sings in Kashmiri, Hindi, and Urdu language, and also composed one of the biggest Hindi songs of recent times in the form of Afghan Jalebi, which was sung by the immensely popular Arijit Singh. He participated in Bigg Boss 20 in September 2026.
Here’s his complete biography: family, Srinagar, the TV show that made him famous, the Arijit Singh controversy that no one gets right, and career till date.
Qazi Touqeer Bio Data:
| Field | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Qazi Ahmad Tauqeer |
| Known as | Qazi Touqeer |
| Profession | Singer, performer, actor |
| Date of birth | 2 June 1985 |
| Age | 41 |
| Zodiac sign | Gemini |
| Birthplace | Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir |
| Based in | Mumbai and Srinagar |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Languages sung in | Kashmiri, Hindi, Urdu |
| School | Minto Circle School, Raj Bagh, Srinagar |
| Father | M.A. Qazi, a lawyer |
| Mother | Syeda Rukhsana, a teacher |
| Uncle | Qazi Rafi, singer |
| Breakthrough | Winner, Fame Gurukul (2005) |
| Won alongside | Ruprekha Banerjee |
| Record label | Sony BMG |
| Debut album | Yeh Pal (2005) |
| Best known song | Afghan Jalebi (Ya Baba), from Phantom |
| @qazitouqeer_official | |
| Television | Bigg Boss 20 |
Qazi Touqeer Physical Stats:
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Height | 5 feet 7 inches (170 cm) |
| Weight | 64 kg |
| Build | Lean |
| Hair colour | Black, worn long with lighter highlights |
| Eye colour | Light brown |
| Zodiac sign | Gemini |
It is an integral part of his act from 2005 onward. It is long, layered and always being changed, and that is partly why people chose him among a group of singers who were better trained.
Early Life In Srinagar:
The birth of Qazi Ahmad Tauqeer took place on 2nd June 1985 at Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir.
His upbringing in a home that cherished both education and religion is well documented. Qazi Ahmed Tauqeer’s father M.A. Qazi was a lawyer and later embraced Sufism, whereas his mother Syeda Rukhsana was a school teacher.
He had been performing way before he started getting paid for it. While he was a kid, he used to mimic the Hindi film stars, while his brother used to take him to Mughal gardens of Srinagar to record his impressions.
Family And His Uncle Qazi Rafi:
In this case, the influence of music in the family was through his uncle who is Qazi Rafi, a famous singer in the Kashmir Valley.
It is through Qazi that he describes himself as his favourite singer and mentor in life. His father has also helped in his singing skills even though he did not know much about singing formally; a point he keeps repeating for some reason.
The rest of his family members have been kept away from the public eye and he has never said anything about his marital status before.
Education:
He got his education from Minto Circle School, Raj Bagh, Srinagar.
But what he lacked was any kind of musical training. No classical background, no vocal teacher, no conservatoire. He reached a national level singing contest with a very sharp ear, tons of confidence, and nothing else, which is perhaps the most crucial thing about him.
What Made Him Audition:
The time when everything started is not at all a secret to him.
With Abhijeet Sawant winning Indian Idol in 2004, he saw people adoring him and realized that this was the perfect show for him. He claims to have gone ahead and declared to everyone around him that he will participate in the show and win. Before auditioning for it, he had already seen himself performing on the show. In 2005, he was chosen for Fame Gurukul from among lakhs of participants.
Winning Fame Gurukul:
Fame Gurukul debuted on Sony Entertainment Television in 2005 based on the Fame Academy format from around the world.
The jury would be very harsh about his performance and they were right too as he was the least technically sound among all the singers in the show. The thing he possessed was stage presence, long hair and a very emotional nature which helped him to connect with the people through the votes.
Many times he entered the danger zone and the public saved him each time. He and Ruprekha Banerjee won the show on 20 October 2005.
The record of getting maximum votes by any reality show contestant in India was set by him. Camps and rallies were conducted in Srinagar and Jammu to save him.
Did Qazi Touqeer Beat Arijit Singh:
No, and that’s where most people go wrong.
Arijit Singh participated in the same season of Fame Gurukul and ended up coming sixth in the competition. This was a long way from being in the finals, which means that Qazi and Arijit Singh never went up against each other in any kind of final showdown. Qazi emerged victorious at the end of the show among those finalists who remained.
The idea that Qazi defeated Arijit Singh comes about all the time as it is more entertaining, especially considering that Arijit has gone on to become the greatest playback singer of India. These are two facts existing parallel to each other in no way connected to each other.
The Hero Of Kashmir:
After the success, the President of India A. P. J. Abdul Kalam openly announced Qazi to be the Hero of Kashmir.
One needs to dwell upon the importance of the win for the local community. He became the first ever person from the Valley who got the chance to be a reality TV star on a national scale while the faces of Kashmiri people in the Indian entertainment media were not common yet.
Yeh Pal And The Sony BMG Deal:
The prize was that of a successful musical career, and he got signed to a recording contract by Sony BMG.
His first album Yeh Pal came out late last year 2005, after their win together as Ruprekha Banerjee.
It featured songs such as Yeh Pal, Karoon Kya, Hero, Meri Mehbooba, Maddham Si Chandni and remix version of the title track.
He has been singing in Hindi, Kashmiri and Urdu languages since then, and live performances have been the most constant aspect of his career.
Qazi Touqeer Songs:
| Title | Note |
|---|---|
| Yeh Pal | Title track of the 2005 debut album |
| Karoon Kya | From Yeh Pal |
| Hero | From Yeh Pal |
| Meri Mehbooba | From Yeh Pal |
| Maddham Si Chandni | From Yeh Pal |
| Afghan Jalebi (Ya Baba) | From Phantom (2015), composed by Pritam |
The Injury That Stalled A Film Debut:
He made an attempt to enter the field of acting in 2009. Qazi participated in a reality show named Sarkar Ki Duniya, which was hosted by Ashutosh Rana. He was also offered a movie known as “Take Off.”
While preparing for the movie in Ganesh Acharya studios, he sustained an injury to his neck. This injury halted the career move of a time when he was planning to make a switch from a singing career to an acting career.
Afghan Jalebi:
His biggest hit was released ten years after the show that catapulted him to fame.
In 2015, he collaborated with Pritam for the song Kabir Khan’s Phantom starring Saif Ali Khan and Katrina Kaif. Qazi performed on Afghan Jalebi (Ya Baba) and is credited as a lyricist for the song. The song turned out to be one of the top-played Hindi film songs of the year and has racked up hundreds of millions of views.
The singer who gained fame through a TV show back in 2005 certainly gets a different perspective on his career through his charting hit in 2015.
Friendship With Arijit Singh:
The two met as contestants in 2005 and have stayed close for twenty years.
Qazi has spoken about Arijit warmly and often, describing him as a brother and praising his humility. In 2026 he travelled to Jiaganj in West Bengal, Arijit’s hometown, where the two rode a scooter around together and played cricket. Arijit has since publicly called him his rockstar.
The friendship is the more interesting story than the rivalry people keep inventing. One of them became the biggest playback voice in India and the other did not, and they are still close two decades on.
The Hrithik Roshan Comparison:
During the Fame Gurukul event, he was constantly compared to Hrithik Roshan.
This was mostly because of his long locks and light eyes, and the media played up the comparison at that point in time. This comparison had been put forth to him several times during the years but he never capitalized on it, hence the reason for it to fade out.
Qazi Touqeer Net Worth:
The net worth of Qazi Touqeer is said to be between Rs 5 crore and Rs 8 crore. It has taken him two decades in performing live on stage, music recording, television and movies.
Performance in the live shows is the most important factor. For an artiste with national recognition and local fans, steady performances in concerts and shows are assured for years on end, and this does not depend on having a hit. The bookings of the singer are made by a management company rather than random shows.
Music recording played an important role for him right from the beginning and then again in 2015 when he released a song named Afghan Jalebi with Sony BMG. A credit for writing the lyrics on this song means he gets royalties from it.
The television shows include Fame Gurukul, Sarkar Ki Duniya and now Bigg Boss where there is a fee payable for the appearance. Being a reality TV show participant for him means that he gets paid every week for as long as he participates in the show.
An Instagram following of around two hundred thousand gives him opportunities for branding and endorsement activities, though only as a supplement to overall earnings.
Career Timeline:
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 1985 | Born on 2nd June in Srinagar |
| 2005 | Nominated to the Fame Gurukul at Sony Entertainment Television |
| 2005 | Wins the show along with Ruprekha Banerjee on 20th October, breaking the votes record |
| 2005 | Signed with Sony BMG and releases his first ever album titled “Yeh Pal” |
| 2009 | Appeared in Sarkar Ki Duniya; got injured in his neck while preparing for Take Off |
| 2015 | Performed in Afghan Jalebi song for Phantom |
| 2026 | Reunited with Arijit Singh in Jiaganj and participated in Bigg Boss 20 |
Qazi Touqeer Social Media Handles:
| Platform | Handle |
|---|---|
| @qazitouqeer_official | |
| X | @qazitouqeerr |
Instagram is the site from which he publishes music and performance videos, along with his live bookings contact information.
Final Take:
No. Because both Qazi Touqeer and Arijit Singh were contestants of the same season of Fame Gurukul. Arijit Singh was sixth and was eliminated before the finals of the competition. While Qazi Touqeer won Fame Gurukul along with Ruprekha Banerjee on 20 October 2005. And they have been good friends for the last twenty years.
Qazi Touqeer is forty-one years old and was born on 2 June 1985 in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. He attended school at Minto Circle School in Raj Bagh. And now he lives both in Mumbai and Srinagar. He is the first Kashmir Valley person to win national prime-time reality shows.
Qazi Touqeer is forty-one years old and was born on 2 June 1985 in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir. He attended school at Minto Circle School in Raj Bagh. And now he lives both in Mumbai and Srinagar. He is the first Kashmir Valley person to win national prime-time reality shows.
The most famous song that he has sung is Afghan Jalebi (Ya Baba) from the movie Phantom in 2015. This song has been composed by Pritam, on which he has sung and also contributed in the writing of. His first ever album named “Yeh Pal” has come out in the year 2005 through Sony BMG and it includes songs like Yeh Pal, Karoon Kya, Hero, Meri Mehbooba and Maddham Si Chandni.
Net worth of Qazi Touqeer is estimated to be around Rs 5 crore to Rs 8 crore. His net worth comprises of live performances, concerts, his Sony BMG record deals and albums, royalty for songwriting of Afghan Jalebi, television shows like Fame Gurukul and Bigg Boss and brand endorsements through his fan base.
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