Atif Aslam

Tell us about your involvement in Kalyug and how it came through?
Atif Aslam:It was because of Mahesh Bhatt. He had already used my song in his movie, Zeher and he had heard 'Aadat' before. So he was inclined to it in his next film. He invited me over and I went to record it in one of the best studios in India.
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But the version you recorded for the movie was in complete contrast to the original one. What do you have to say about that?
Atif Aslam: One has to understand that the Indian market caters to a completely different audience. This is why changes are made to the songs, which are used in a Bollywood movie. They have a market for filmi music, which has a different sound and is nothing like our pop music. Pakistan has its own market. We appreciate pop music and that's why our pop industry is bigger. The lyrics and the melody of 'Aadat' had to be changed – in the original version there is no chorus but in the Kalyug version, there is. Now you see that it's a big hit already and if I hadn't done it, it wouldn't have been a hit
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The soundtrack has the original version of 'Aadat' as well, why is it there then?
Atif Aslam: No one listens to that version. Everyone listens to the version I recorded. Just to save them from controversy, they wrote, 'music by Jal and singer Atif Aslam'. As I said, they have a different taste in music and that's what they like. I also wanted to test my talents as a playback singer and this is another reason I went ahead to record the song. Various music directors have listened to it and they have all appreciated it.
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But you are representing Bollywood when you sing for them. Don't you think that you should have an upper hand when it comes to music, as it is your music?
Atif Aslam: In a country like Pakistan, there is very little exposure for a singer, and we all want to venture into a bigger market. India is that market for us. The media coverage, the presence and publicity is all on a global scale there. By the grace of God I had an offer from there and at that point in time, I was just 22 years old. Do you think a twenty two year old kid who has just started his music career would say no to a big Bollywood producer who is offering him to include his song in the movie? Isn't this an honour?
-----What do you think is the difference between Indian market as compared to Pakistani market?
Gohar Mumtaz Bollywood films and their music dominates the Indian market. But at the same time, they don't have a pop industry. On the other hand, our pop music is explosive, melodious and distinct. And even though, filmi music will always have a bigger share in the Indian market, Pakistani pop music is finding it's way there
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What about your new album?
Gohar Mumtaz We're working on it. Soon we're going to go into studios and hopefully sometime, this year, our new album will be out, which will be bigger and better than Aadat.