I still cry remembering Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan sahab: Rahat

Rahat, 41, is emotional, sensitive and romantic. He is loyal with a clean heart, but he prefers to remain diplomatic as he doesn’t want to hurt anyone. He is always smiling and is extremely naughty and childlike. He is shy with a lot of self-respect and like his mother always told him, he has a lot of hausla.

Prior to 2011, there was a time when almost every Bollywood film had to have a song by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. But post his Customs case, his singing for Bollywood reduced substantially and so, now his fans wait for any song that Rahat may land up singing. And therefore, it comes as no surprise that his latest song Mere Naina Kafir Ho Gaye from Arbaaz Khan’s romantic comedy Dolly Ki Doli has become a hit.

In an exclusive conversation, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan opens up to Pune Times and for the first time, talks about his unfortunate Customs episode, his near fatal accident in the US and why he still cries remembering his mentor Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. Excerpts:
How did you come into singing?
Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan sahab used to always tell me that I have a great memory. I remember as a child, listening to my dada singing some qawaalis would touch me so much that I would go to the washroom and cry. That was the only place in the house where I could be alone. I could not understand the meaning of the words or the raags, but just the sur touched me and would make me cry. I started singing at the age of five. After a little practice, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan sahab (I was his younger brother’s son) heard me and he started teaching me and I performed for the first time on my dada’s barsi at the age of 7. I can never play the harmonium like my father, but I learnt to play it from him and try and follow him.


How did Bollywood happen?
I grew up listening to songs of Lataji, Ashaji, Kishore da and Mohammed Rafiji. I would love their singing and always thought in my heart how great they were. Nusrat sahab died in 1997. After his death, I composed and sung songs in an album, but unfortunately the owner of the music company died and so, it could not be released. A few years later in 2002, Pooja Bhatt visited Pakistan and she heard it and loved the song Mann Ki Lagan and took the rights for her film. That was my first song in Bollywood.

Who are you emotionally most attached to?
e is not in this world now, but it is was Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan sahab. Kya bataoon ki woh kis tarah ke insaan the. I still cry till today remembering him and some of his compositions. He could not bear lies and would neither speak lies nor listen to it. He was always working towards building a name for his family. He was not interested in any worldly things or issues and was only into his harmonium and his music. He had one quality that always surprised me. Even though there was no net at that time, I would hear his song one day and can you imagine within a week of its release, it would have become a super hit in Pakistan. I don’t know how people would find out and listen to it, but it would be on everyone’s lips. He loved his family, be it his wife or daughter and me. He was a very pyaara insaan and was very sincere. He was a pure artist, who was not commercial. He was the most respected from our family. He was suffering from diabetes and in his last few months, he was on dialysis. I still remember when I got that call in the afternoon in Pakistan telling me that he had passed away. It was morning in London, when he had died there in the hospital. When I practise a raag he taught me and remember his phrases, I miss him and that’s the time I realise that he is physically no more with me. Right from my childhood, I would be glued to him and I don’t remember talking to him about anything else, but about music. I was like his kid and he would always compliment me for my memory that once he taught me anything, I would never forget it. He must be listening from up there on what the world says about me today. What was your lowest period in life? I get very emotional when it comes to Khan sahab or my mother. First, Khan sahab died in 1997. Then in 2003, I lost my father. In 2005, my mother was ill and needed treatment. I had no money to get her treated. But somehow, I arranged the money from somewhere. She knew that I had no money and so was not ready to go to the hospital for treatment. I went home to pick her up, but saw that she was not ready only. I told her, ‘Aap ready hi nahi huye? We have to go to the doctor.’ She said, ‘Kaise jayenge?’ I said, ‘Why are you thinking about that? The doctor knew papa and he said that he will look after everything.’ She knew I was lying and said, ‘Speak the truth. Your face is not speaking what you are saying by your mouth.’ She started getting ready and just before leaving the house she gave me dua and said, ‘Tumhe uparwala bahut dega.’ That was the last time she went to the hospital and she died there. That was the biggest setback for me in life, but due to her dua, my career took off post her death in 2006 and I started singing so many songs in Bollywood and got so much love for it. A mother never leaves you and I can never forget her. People that you attribute your success to in Bollywood? I am extremely grateful to Vishal Bhardwaj, Sajid Wajid and Pritam. Also to Arbaaz bhai (Arbaaz Khan). I have worked a lot with Wajid bhai and I love how he presents an old andaaz song in a new way. He is a such a nice person. Arbaaz bhai has always met me with so much love and I never feel, looking at him, that he is such a famous person and such a big star. He is always smiling and is so friendly. He is like a brother and he always gives me so much respect. And because woh itne izzatdaar hain, woh doosro ko bhi izzat dete hain. Your favourite singers in Bollywood today? Sonu is a great singer. Sonu bhai is very straightforward while I am diplomatic. Shreya Ghoshal, even though I have never met her. Sunidhi Chauhan is a good friend and like my sister. I also like Arijit Singh and Ankit Tiwari's singing.



You have never spoken about your Customs case by the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) before. Tell us what exactly happened?
I honestly did not know the law in India. I knew the international law of each person being allowed to travel with 10,000 USD each. We were detained at the airport as we were carrying USD 1,24,000 with us. We were one group of 14 people travelling together and so, we thought we were short by 16,000 USD as per international law. But when we reached the airport, we were told that we were only allowed to carry USD 5,000 each. It was an unfortunate situation. They agreed that we were a group of 14 people as we had all been booked on one PNR. This case was just a Customs case, but I felt bad as the agency got involved. I am an artist, not a criminal. I understand that if you are carrying a mobile that is not allowed to be carried, the customs can at best keep that. But in our case, they took the money as well as asked us to also pay penalty on it. Our passports were taken away for the 4-5 days that we were being interrogated. We stayed in a hotel close to the airport and would go to Customs everyday for being interrogated. Now I am aware and try and find out the rules and regulations of each country that I visit. Also, we now accept only bank to bank transactions in our dealings. For coming back to India, we are in the process of making a PAN card and we will fulfill all the requirements of taxation here, basis the law. And Inshallah, I will come to India soon.

You have not visited India post 2011. Did you feel a loss?
The loss was on account of the fact that my fans suffered, as I did not do shows here. I used to enjoy performing in India so much that I don’t enjoy even in Pakistan. Level of satisfaction of a performance I get singing in India, I get nowhere else kyunki Hindustan ke log music ko samajhte hai. Tell us about the car accident in the US in 2011 where you miraculously got saved. We had just come out of that Customs case in India and had to go for our US tour in April. While we got our passports back, they were not willing to release the passport of Chitresh Srivastava, who was managing my work here in India, as the investigations were still on. Chitresh bhai was keen that they give him his passport, so that he could come on the tour with us. So he met their criteria, basis which they gave him his passport. Just the day before the accident, it was his 24th wedding anniversary and he was talking to his wife on the phone in my presence. I was teasing him saying, ‘Dada kitni der ho gayi hai together?’ He said, ‘Khan sahab, it has been 24 years.’ I told him, 'Dada, abhi toh 50 aur karne hain.’ He said, 'Arey Khan sahab, kisko pata hai.’ Next day, Chitreshji, my cousin Maroof and me were to travel in one car from Detroit to Chicago. It was very cold. I came down and found that the car that we were to travel in, was locked and the key had been left up. So I got into the other car in which the group was to travel, instead of the one in which I was to go. On the way, I went off to sleep and came to know how Chitresh bhai died on the spot in the accident. While everyone in that car got badly hurt, only Chitreshji was ejected out of the car and died. The car was so crushed that it became the size of a small table, even though otherwise it was the size of a huge truck. We later came to know that the car we had hired was being run by the promoters illegally for 10 years. Chitreshji was my brother and friend. I now sometimes wish that he had not got his passport, as he may have lived then. He worked a lot in making our group and he was the one responsible for giving the initial push to us without which a rocket cannot go up.