New Delhi:
Remember the candid photo of the blue-eyed Pakistan chai-walla who broke the internet with his raw handsome looks that even landed him a modeling contract? Well, after Pakistan’s Arshad Khan, it is now this Afghan Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau doppelganger who has become the newest tv sensation. The Afghan man, now identified as one Abdul Salam Maftoon from north-east is becoming the hottest soup for the internet after viewers saw the uncanny resemblance to Justin Trudeau when he appeared in a tv show. One of the show's judges, Afghan-Canadian musician Qais Ulfat, told the BBC that he first noticed the resemblance when training up the 12 contestants who made it through to the finals.
"I noticed he looked a lot like my prime minister," he said. "So I started giggling around with the host."
The resemblance was pointed out on air, and Mr Maftoon quickly became a celebrity.
The 29-year-old is competing on the popular singing contest Afghan Star.
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A judge on the series pointed out the similarity, and Mr Maftoon is now among the final eight contestants.
"I didn't know anything about Justin Trudeau until I saw the photos on social media," the wedding singer from Badakhshan province told AFP news agency.
"The resemblance has boosted my chances of winning the competition by 50%."
Afghans have posted numerous comparison pictures online.
The resemblance was pointed out on air, and Mr Maftoon quickly became a celebrity.
"Since then he's gone viral," Mr Ulfat said. "Everyone's talking about him on social media."
Check out the pictures of Salam and Trudeau here:
WHY DOES SALAM MAFTOON LOOK LIKE JUSTIN TRUDEAU IM DYINFBSHAB pic.twitter.com/oegsGaFqR3
— bahar (@baharfirooz) January 11, 2019
With Justin Trudeau’s long lost Afghan brother. 😃 pic.twitter.com/zXzXISULXE
— Ramiz Bakhtiar (@RamizBakhtiar) January 10, 2019
Afghan Star is one of the most popular shows in Afghanistan. It premiered in 2005, four years after the fall of the Taliban.
