Mid-Day

Mumbai, Jun 12: The lead singer of Fuzon, one of the most popular Pakistani bands is not very talkative. Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan’s reticent nature comes from being a part of the famous classical music Patiala gharana patronised by his late father Ustad Amanat Ali Khan.

But it takes seconds for Amanat to win over the audience once Fuzon takes stage.

It is the same appeal that drew Shankar Mahadevan when he heard Fuzon’s biggest hit Sagar on GO 92.5 FM (now RADIO ONE 92.5 FM). “I just SMSed Tarana (RJ) and asked her who the singer was and decided that he’s the one we needed for our song,” says Mahadevan, referring to Mitwa.

It wasn’t too difficult convincing Khan, a self-confessed Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy fan since Dil Chahta Hai.

“I didn’t think for a second before I agreed to do the track,” says Khan, in a telephonic interview from Karachi. Khan describes Mitwa as “a very beautiful, romantic tabla-based track without techno frills” — the kind that made him want to “immediately get behind the mike and sing it.”

Mahadevan’s also co-sung the track. “We both share the experience of having studied Eastern classical music and managing to move away to sing other kinds of music.”

This isn’t the first time that Khan has been approached by Bollywood. “I had three other offers,” he claims, “But the first time around, the deal didn’t work out and the second time I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to work with the team and get into a particular camp.”

The volume of work that Pakistani artistes have sung in Bollywood films has shot up — Ali Azmat, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Aatif, Jal and more recently Rafaqat Ali Khan in Krrish — almost as if there’s a Pakistani music factory out there waiting to compose/sing for Bollywood.

Khan reveals that he enjoyed the edgy, rock-infused Garaj Baras sung by Junoon’s Ali Azmat in Paap.

“There are too many films being made in India and it’s very difficult for Sonu, Shaan, Shankar, Kunal, Udit Narayan and Kumar Sanu to fulfill the needs of every film. And naturally, people don’t mind listening to a new voice,” reasons Khan.

A seven-day countdown to Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna’s music release, and Khan claims that he isn’t anxious. “I’ve never been nervous. I’ll be happy if the song does well, but even if it’s not a great hit, I’ll be satisfied that I got an opportunity to do such a beautiful track,” he says.

He’s also got other musical plans on his mind. Fuzon’s second album is slated to release next month, and Khan claims that the band will be in India shortly to tie up a record deal. If we go by the massive success of their debut Sagar four years ago, then this one is sure worth the wait.