almost all of the songs have a Sufi ana touch and this is something that you will always fi nd in my songs .” Khan has lent his voice to numerous hit Bollywood songs that have taken listeners by storm , in India and beyond . From singles to duets to complete soundtracks , he has sung for some of the biggest names in B-town including superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan . However , one does wonder if his voice has been overcommercialized in Bollywood . “ Voice is voice and it is like fragrance . Fragrance can never be over-commercialized ; it remains a fragrance ,” said RFAK in all earnestness . Moving away from music records , RFAK , who is known for performing at both public and private events , maintained that security concerns hinder public music concerts in Pakistan . “ There are a lot of problems that don ’ t allow artists to perform in live shows ,” explained Khan . “ Once these issues will be resolved , things will get better , hopefully .” In fact , security is the prime reason why we don ’ t see Rahat Fateh Ali Khan participating in music festivals that have sprouted around the country in the last few years . A major complaint that Khan has with the Government of Pakistan , it seemed , is the lack of support for music and by consequence musicians in Pakistan . And like most of his peers , Khan believes that Pakistan has an abundance of talent to offer in every fi eld including music . Sharing his views on the matter , Khan ’ s manager said , “ Pakistan has so much talent but unfortunately the government is not doing anything to bring them to the forefront because we are too lost in current affairs .” When I asked Khan about the music scene in Pakistan and lack of original music in mainstream specifi cally , he didn ’ t have much to say on the subject . However , his manager sought permission from him to speak on the issue and brought the conversation back to Khan ’ s last album , Back 2 Love . He didn ’ t seem too happy about the fact that nobody is pointing out what Khan has achieved . “ Did anybody in Pakistan in terms of media look into the depth of the album ( Back 2 Love ) that Khan Sahib released nearly two years ago ?” he shot back . “ What did he do digitally ? In India , the trend was only fi lmmaking but the song ‘ Zaruri Tha ’, which has just crossed 90 million views , has pre-empted every fi lmmaker to make singles now and release them ,” the manager asserted . He also noted that despite being a global trendsetter , Khan ’ s accomplishments have largely gone unnoticed by the local media . “ People have stopped making albums but Khan Sahab came up with a full-length album which became supremely successful . No song from India or Pakistan has ever reached those numbers ,” he added . This year , Khan is also featured on the soundtrack of Farooq Mengal ’ s recent release , Hijrat . While the fi lm sank without a trace , the OST is worth mentioning because it features RFAK alongside rocker Ali Azmat . Speaking on his experience of singing for the fi lm , Khan noted , “ It was a very good experience and if you notice ,
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CHIT CHAT it ’ s not at all a commercial song .” With the revival of Pakistani cinema , fi lm music is increasingly gaining strength . And RFAK , who routinely sings for commercial Bollywood didn ’ t notice the irony when stating that fi lm music in Pakistan is “ a bit commercial ” and caters to what the masses demand . However , he also felt that there was something unique about music that comes from Pakistan . “ The music of Maalik , in particular , is very good ,” he said . “ Also , Sahir Ali Bagga gave great music to the fi lm Halla Gulla that released last year .” When I asked Khan about his views on cross-border cultural exchange , he observed that it is a positive sign and should take place more often . Khan is of the view that India and Pakistan , two countries always at odds with each other , are inherently the same . Talking about some of his favourite composers from modern-day Bollywood , Khan spoke highly of artists like Shankar Mahadevan , Sajid Ali-Wajid Ali and Vishal Bhardwaj , who he believes create “ true music ”. As for Bollywood superstars , Khan shared that Shah Rukh Khan has a marvelous music sense and his choice of music is very good while Salman Khan is a bit commercial . And if you ’ re wondering what Khan makes of the future of music in Pakistan , he is optimistic . “ It is good and will remain so till we are alive !” On a concluding note , when I asked Khan who will take his legacy forward , he named his son Shahzaman Ali Khan and his younger brother Wajahat Ali as his musical heirs . “ They are very talented , even more than me ,” Khan concluded .