Curly tales of Angel Noor

Ever come across a tale where avoiding a haircut catapults someone to stardom? Odd as it may sound, our world is a treasure trove of such bizarre opportunities. 

Zulfikar Noor, known widely as Angel Noor on Social Media, is a multi-talented individual, boasting skills in singing, acting, modelling and featuring in TV commercials. Rest assured, this isn't some fake Facebook profile. The 26-year-old Noor is genuinely making waves in the entertainment industry – and believe it or not, it all started with his curly hair.

While studying Electronics and Electrical Engineering at North South University in Dhaka, Noor grew his hair long and discovered it was curly. In January 2020, a video of him singing Arijeet's 'Phir Le Aya Dil' on campus went viral, quickly amassing over a thousand shares on Facebook.

Noor was seen recently playing the role of Biltu in the 'HoiChoi' original courtroom drama 'Mobaroknama,' sharing a screen with Mosharraf Karim and as of yesterday, he released his first-ever original composition 'Jodi Abar.'

It all started when Noor received a phone call from a telecom company while he was in the middle of tuition. From the other end, a voice said they really liked his look, largely because of his curly hair, and they would like to feature Noor in a TVC.

"I didn't even know that TVC meant TV Commercial! They offered me Tk20,000 for it and I accepted instantly. Making that much money in a day was big for me at that point," Noor said, recounting his early surprise. 

In just three months, Noor appeared in 19 TVCs and a government-funded series 'Kalo Frame Er Mota Choshma,' celebrating Bangabandhu's centenary, though it's unreleased. His rising career was abruptly paused by the Covid-19 pandemic, during which he took a job at a developer company and put his education and acting on hold.

"I had to keep earning no matter what. I was lured in towards acting for the money, like the first Tk20,000 I earned, and I'm not embarrassed to acknowledge it. We all experience financial struggles at times, but many are too embarrassed to admit it, I'm not," Noor admitted.

Photo: Courtesy

Post-pandemic, Noor returned to his education, preferring to finance it himself. However, his savings fell short for private university fees, leading him to explore ways to earn more money; which, as fate would have it, opened doors for his music journey.

"Without my knowledge, my pianist friend submitted my music video to the 2021 'Toffee Star Search' competition, where I could win Tk1 lakh for making it to the top 30. At that time, I was looking for a student loan," he continued.

"To my surprise, I not only made it to the top 30 but also reached the top 10, earning Tk3 lakh and I didn't need student loans any more."

After gaining recognition as a singer, Noor's career started progressing. He was soon contacted by Iqbal H Chowdhury, director of the Busan Film Fest accredited film 'Boli' [The Wrestler], for an audition. This audition led to his first major film role, playing the son of the protagonist, a fisherman played by Nasir Uddin Khan. Meanwhile, Noor had resumed his studies, but they were once again put on hold due to his involvement in 'Boli.'

In the meantime, one day in university, he performed Coke Studio Pakistan's recent sensational song 'Pasoori' and posted it on social media. Once again, he went viral, this time getting close to five million streams in less than a week on Facebook alone. 

"Pasoori was extremely popular at that time. It became the Best Fanmade Video from South Asia," Noor said, rather proudly. 

Coke Studio Pakistan officially congratulated Noor, solidifying his status as a big-screen actor, TVC artist and musician. He then created a Facebook page under the name 'Angel Noor,' now with about 75,000 followers. His first cover, 'Upo,' posted on this page, quickly became a hit.

"If I ran after the follower count, I could have at least a million of them by now. I only upload things I believe I'm genuinely good at," he said. 

From covers to original

Noor, who has consistently earned recognition by posting high-quality covers of famous songs, has now ventured into creating his own music. Last night, he debuted his original track 'Jodi Abar.' Many believe this song is ideal for him as it highlights his melodious voice.

"All this time I've been doing cover songs and for the next two months, I'll be doing original songs mostly because I can't do music when I'm acting. The music video for Jodi Abar was shot in Rajshahi. I'll be working on originals now," Noor said about his first song.

Currently, he is awaiting the theatrical release of 'Boli' on 26 March. The shooting for 'Mobaroknama' season two is underway and has also completed shooting for a Bongo web series titled 'BNG.' 

However, through his role in 'Boli' he caught the attention of a Tamil filmmaker and the word is he is being eyed for a central role in a Tamil movie soon. 

The possibilities for Noor, it seems, are endless.