instep interview

The thought of interviewing one of the most celebrated qawwali singers of our time, Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan was certainly intriguing. As I reached Movenpick Hotel in Karachi on a bright Friday evening to interview this living legend, I found out that the venue had been shifted to PC Hotel due to unavailability of rooms at the former. Walking out of one hotel and crossing the road to reach another was definitely draining, thanks to this belligerent heat, but the experience remains undiminished.

As I entered the room to conduct the interview, I noticed that RFAK was surrounded by a group of at least half a dozen people. While adjusting to the distractions around, I fielded a strange request from a fellow journalist who advised me to not use my intellect while asking the questions. Okay then.

Once seated, the conversation began with Khan’s upcoming show in London where he will be performing to a live audience on August 14, Pakistan’s birthday. Discussing the feel of the show, RFAK noted, "This one is going to be a very unique performance based on spiritual qawwali and will feature some new songs presented in a distinct style."

Khan’s manager Salman Ahmed, seated right in front of us throughout the interview, seemed more interested in responding to my questions than Khan himself. Sharing the details of Khan’s UK tour, his manager told Instep, "It’s a three-day tour starting from August 12 till August 14 with RFAK scheduled to perform at a handful of venues with the final show taking place in London on August14."

Khan is essentially known as a Sufi singer, who was born to a family of Qawwals, and has been given the charge of carrying the legacy of his late uncle, the legendary Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, forward. His breakthrough record, Charkha, produced by Rohail Hyatt and released nearly a decade ago, veered towards Sufism and established Khan as the one true heir to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s legacy. In comparison, his recent music productions, elaborate as they maybe, possess a slight hint of commercialism.

"It depends on the makers [of the songs]," noted Khan when asked about this shift in his sound. "You see, most of my songs after Charkha are from Bollywood so there has to be a certain level of commercialization in them. But if you take note of my album Back 2 Love (2014), almost all of the songs have a Sufiana touch and this is something that you will always find 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 over-commercialized 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 field 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 specifically, 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 filmmaking but the song ‘Zaruri Tha’, which has just crossed 90 million views, has pre-empted every filmmaker 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 film 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 film, Khan noted, "It was a very good experience and if you notice, it’s not at all a commercial song."

With the revival of Pakistani cinema, film music is increasingly gaining strength. And RFAK, who routinely sings for commercial Bollywood didn’t notice the irony when stating that film 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 film 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.