one-on-one with Pakistani singer Shafqat Amanat Ali
Photo courtesy: Twitter
New Delhi: Pakistani singer Shafqat Amanat Ali says the younger crop of singers in Bollywood are promising but in the long run people will listen to the likes of Suresh Wadekar and Sonu Nigam.
"There are new voices in Hindi films these days and they are not disappointing listeners. Their songs are popular. But there are singers like Shankar Mahadevan, Sonu Nigam, Shreya
Ghoshal, Sunidhi Chauhan, Hariharan and Suresh Wadekar. People listen to them now and will continue listening to them even years down the line," Shafqat told PTI.
The 49-year-old singer, who belongs to the Patiala Gharana lineage, said whenever he has some free time, he likes to tune into Kishor Kumar and R D Burman songs.
"The work leaves me with less time to catch on with the current music and when I get time chance I switch to Kishor Da (Kumar) and R D Burman songs. But every now and then while
travelling, for instance, I hear new singers and composers on FM," he said.
Shafqat, who is in the Capital to participate in the Punjabi Festival, said performing in India is more like reviving bonds for him.
"There is not really difference between the two nations. It's just the matter of crossing the 'official' boundary and after that it does not seem as if I am in a different place. The mutual cultural heritage is similar on both sides of the LoC. The Punjab region, even after partition remains same in terms of lifestyle, culture and representing Pakistan on this occasion is like reviving bonds with the region and reviving the oneness," Shafqat said.
The singer, who catapulted to fame in Hindi films with his first song 'Mitwa' from 'Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna', says quality and not quantity is what matters to him. "It is not deliberate on my part to sing less songs, but to maintain the quality I don't mind keeping low on quantity. I believe whatever happens, happens for good," he said.
Having received critical and mass appreciation with songs like 'Khamaj', 'Ye Hausla' and 'Bin Tere', Shafqat said it was 'Aankhon Ke Saagar' (released in 2002) that gave him an outreach to people.
He said composers in India by that time had started experimenting and trying new voices post which he received a song offer from Shankar Mahadevan. Carrying a classical legacy on his shoulders, the singer said there were offers which he has rejected in the past because he did not find the lyrics appropriate.
"If you are carrying a legacy then you have to compromise on few things. Sometimes you dont like the lyrics and have to deny associating with it. But that doesn't mean you criticise
someone else's creation," he added.
The former lead singer of 'Fuzon' said despite having a recognised background it has been a struggle for him to carve an individual identity for himself. Shafqat is currently busy composing for his first Bengali film which also has Oscar-winning sound designer Resul Pookutty associated with it and said language is not a problem because music is beyond it.
"I am working on a Bengali project. Music has no language, and when the common point is same then there is no difficulty working on it. I am not nervous, but yes it is exciting to composing in Bangla. Plus working with Resul Pookutty is another reason that I opted for this offer, it is great working with him," Shafqat said.
( Source : PTI )
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