Baramulla, May 2: It wasn’t a studio, a reality show, or even a proper microphone that did it. It was a whim, a smartphone, and the 51st attempt.
Rasik Ahmad Mir, a 15-year-old Class 9 student from Hatchepora village in north Kashmir’s Rafiabad area, has woken up to an Instagram chartbuster — over 30 million views on a cover song he uploaded almost as an afterthought. This, after 50 previous reels had barely managed a ripple.
The game-changer his rendition of a Bollywood track from the Bollywood movie Dhurandhar The Revenge. Within days, the numbers had crossed crores. But the real shock arrived when Punjabi singer Jasmine Sandlas herself dropped a comment on his post.
“I didn’t expect it would get so many views,” Rasik told Kashmir Convener.
When I was singing a Kashmiri song to my father, my brother saw me and told me to put a reel on social media. The first upload barely drew any attention. But I kept consistency. I put around 50 reels.
It was the 50th — or maybe the 51st — that changed everything.
His elder brother, the first to spot the spark, remains his biggest cheerleader. “He told me I sing very well, so I should continue.” Rasik says he remains grateful to the original artiste whose track became his turning point.
“I am surprised myself how I became a social media sensation,” he says. “Everywhere, people and relatives are calling my family about this viral track.”
This has also increased my own passion for singing, but for me, education is the priority. I also dream of getting a chance to sing on India’s biggest musical platform — Indian Idol. I am hopeful that one day, with my family’s support, I will definitely make it there and represent my Kashmir.’
What makes Rasik’s rise even more striking is that he comes from a remote village with no formal music institution — not even access to instruments. Natural talent, passion, and a brother’s nudge have done the heavy lifting.
Notably, Bollywood and Kashmir share a long-standing relationship — often credited with boosting the region’s economy, from employment to tourism. After a long gap, the Modi government under LG Manoj Sinha has once again given Bollywood wings to fly in Kashmir. From the reopening of cinema halls to film shootings resuming in the Valley over the past five years, the connection has been rekindled.
The relationship reached new heights last year, thanks to two debutant musicians from Kashmir — Faheem Abdullah and Arslan Nizami — who won hearts nationwide with their romantic track in Mohit Suri’s Saiyaara, which took the box office by storm, grossing crores globally.
Now, from a village without a music school, a Class 9 boy with 30 million views is adding his own verse to that story.
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