Rahat Fateh Ali Khan speaks to Anuj Kumar in The Hindu on his uncle, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, composing for Bollywood and Sufi music
He sings up to his name. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s voice provides the relief we need in this frenzied world. “Sukoon is the word”, he insists, as he settles for the interview. Sufi music is making waves, but the genre is being interpre ted in myriad ways. What is Sufi: the person, the voice, the verse or the music? “I believe it is the thought and the style. A sufi is a person who doesn’t believe in any particular religion and loves humanity. That’s why he is closer to Allah.” Can a voice be Sufi? “Of course, the voice which has masoomiyat...the innocence that connects you to the One above.”
He clarifies what he sings in Bollywood is not always Sufi. “‘Laagi Tumse Man Ki Lagan’ is Sufi while ‘Naina Das Lenge’ is not, though both of them have been used to suit the plot of the film.”
Here’s Rahat Fateh Ali Khan singing O Re Piya on this Youtube clip
