Pakistani Singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan Has Only Praise For India

Khan flew down to the city, a few days ago, after a detailed questioning by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials in Delhi. The Main Jahaan Rahun and O Re Piya singer had been out of India all this while, after he was detained at the Indira Gandhi Airport in 2011 by Revenue Intelligence officials when he and two of his troupe members were caught allegedly carrying US $1.24 lakh in undeclared foreign currency.

Excerpts from an interview:

How does it feel returning to India?
I feel very happy. People are giving me lot of love.

Did you ever feel like giving up on trying to come to India?
The heart said that I should come back, and I am here now. India is such a place that I cannot forget. This country has given me immense respect and fame.


So, is the Delhi issue resolved?
Allah ke karam se, everything is sorted out now.

Will you be working more in India now?
Now, I will be able to record my songs whether I am in Dubai or Pakistan or even India. The best thing is that the people, who have yearned for my live performance in India, will now be able to experience it.

Which is the one place in India that you like to visit?
There are only a couple of places in the world where I feel completely at peace. The Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai is one of them.

What goes into making a Rahat Fateh Ali Khan song?
My entire team sits and discusses the song. We take care that the lyrics don't have any double entendre or anything that would be offensive to anyone.

Do you think that the remixes are bad news for the music industry?
We make remixes because the audience demands it. But while we are creating such remixes, we should check whether they are advantageous to the audience as well as to the new talent that is coming in. Also, originality should not be suppressed.

So, what next?
My next album is Back To Love. It has love songs. Some of the songs are in Punjabi.