he South Asian diaspora, or actors with Pakistani roots —whichever term you prefer, has seen a rise in individuals finding acclaim outside of Pakistan. We celebrate these achievements, even if not every single actor or director has a ‘Pasoori’ to their credit or two Academy Awards.

The latest case in point: Qurram Hussan, colloquially known as Q, one half of the music group Josh alongside Rup Magon.

Formed in Canada, the members of Josh, give each other enough space to pursue solo projects as well.

To that end, Qurram Hussain recently won his first Canadian Screen Award for Best Original Song. The song is called ‘Ishq Ki Na Koi Bhi Hud Hai’ and it was for the critically acclaimed film, Queen of My Dreams, directed by Fawzia Mirza.

Qurram Hussain’s song marks his first entry into the Canadian film scene, and he plans to do more work in the future.

According to a press statement, the film Queen of My Dreams “has been praised for its emotional depth and powerful storytelling, with Qurram Hussain’s music playing a pivotal role in bringing the film’s narrative to life”.

This film has set the stage for Qurram Hussain’s next project, a film called Stealing Vows, for which he has created the entire soundtrack, consisting of 15 songs.

This transition from music production to film scoring shows artistic growth, something we rarely see. Given Josh’s past records, it will be interesting to see what he conjures as a complete soundtrack. In the meantime, congratulations seem to be in order.

With Qurram Hussain’s rising profile in the Canadian film industry, be sure to keep an eye out for both his music and his future film projects.