 "I
love Shah Rukh Khan. I would love to sing for him some day. While
I was a contestant in Zee TV's Sa Re Ga Ma Pa,
Shah Rukh Khan once came as a judge and he told me, 'The world is
my fan but I am your
fan.' Hearing that was such an honor. I think that is the best compliment
I have ever received."
- Amanat Ali Khan
When I call up Amanat Ali Khan for an interview, Shafqat Amanat
Ali's 'Khairiyaan De Naal' plays as his ring tone. I mention this
to him later and he enthuses, "I love that song. Shafqat Amanat
Ali is one of my favorite singers."
In the course of our interview, I discover that Amanat Ali is just
as exuberant about all his favourites. His favourite singers also
include Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Atif Aslam and Sajjad Ali while his
favorite actor on any given day is Shah Rukh Khan. "I love
Shah Rukh Khan," he asserts. "I would love to sing for
him some day. While I was a contestant in Zee TV's Sa Re Ga Ma Pa,
Shah Rukh Khan once came as a judge and he told me, 'The world is
my fan but I am your fan.' Hearing that was such an honor. I think
that is the best compliment I have ever received."
 That's
Amanat Ali for you. A remarkable singer himself, he is generous
with his compliments – a novelty in the competitive, backstabbing
world that is the Pakistani music industry. The 22-year-old singer's
career so far has the makings of a fairy tale. At the age of 18,
he was selected to participate in Zee Sa Re Ga Ma Pa's Pakistan-Middle
East challenge. He subsequently won the contest and was invited
to participate in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa's global competition, alongside
75 other contestants. In this contest he eventually ranked second-runner
up in India and first, according to the international votes. During
his tryst with Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, he won over judges and fans alike.
When he sang 'Hangama Hai Kyon Barpa' in the show's ghazal round,
judge Jagjit Singh commented that he had left all the other contestants
far behind. Following the show's finale, he participated in three
world tours with the likes of Atif Aslam, Kailash Kher and the Bachchan
clan. On returning to Pakistan, he released his debut album, Kohraam.
The ease with which he rose to stardom is probably the reason why
he has such an unguarded, trusting attitude. "I haven't had
to work my way up from the lower wrungs of the music industry,"
he agrees. "Luckily, even prior to the release of my first
album, I already had fans from all over the world through Sa Re
Ga Ma Pa. I didn't have to experience the politics involved in trying
to establish a career in singing without any outside connections.
Unlike other newcomers, my career so far has been relatively smooth
sailing. Now, though, I am beginning to notice the hypocrisy in
the music business. People aren't what they seem to be. I returned
from India and renowned musicians came up to me and commended me.
Post-Kohraam, they're no longer as congenial. Suddenly, I am their
competition."
So, how does he plan to deal with this competition? "I am just
going to work hard," is his simple solution. "I invested
a lot of effort into Kohraam, trying to make it as diverse as possible.
The album includes contemporary songs that will please everyone
and more classical, raga-based songs for true music aficionados.
So far, two videos have been released; of the title track 'Kohraam'
and of 'Thumri'."
He has also sung a song for the soundtrack of Indian movie Dostana.
I ask him how he's faring in Bollywood post the Mumbai bomb blasts.
"The Mumbai blasts definitely made things difficult in the
beginning," he says. "Some of the Indian playback songs
sung by Pakistani singers were re-sung by Indians. This happened
to one of my songs also. Now, slowly, the situation is improving.
I have recorded songs with Ismail Darbar and Vishal Shehkar that
will be releasing soon. Even prior to the Mumbai incident, there
has always been an underlying tension towards Pakistanis amongst
the Indians. As a contestant in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, I had a very strong
fan base. Still, when I sang a Pakistani patriotic song 'Ae Watan
Pyaare Watan' in the show's 15th August patriotic song special,
the very people who had idolized me, turned against me."
So, does he plan to continue pursuing a career in India? "Of
course," he asserts. "I can reach people all over the
world through the Indian media. Their channels are aired everywhere
while only a handful of our Pakistani channels are available in
areas like Europe and the U.S.A."
With Kohraam due to release in India in December and a concert tour
planned soon thereafter, I wonder what Amanat Ali wants to concentrate
on in the future – solo albums or playback singing? "Playback
singing is my first love," he reveals. "In Pakistan, this
'album culture' is more popular but in India, people are more fond
of listening to Indian movie songs."
It seems as if Amanat Ali has his heart set upon making it big in
India. Pakistani singers like Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Adnan Sami
Khan have gained a strong foothold in the Indian music industry.
A longer list of singers have returned back home without much success.
Whether or not Amanat Ali manages to leave a mark across the border,
only time will tell.
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