TOI caught up with singer-actor Atif Aslam for a chat on his debut film and why he does not care about critics ripping his songs apart

You were supposed to come for a concert to Ahmedabad some months back but we heard you had visa problems.
After 26/11 yes, we all face visa problems. I was also busy with my concerts in the US and so the Ahmedabad trip did not happen.

In your earlier interviews, you maintained that you'd never act despite receiving offers. What made you change your mind.
I got a little bored of doing the same thing. I wanted to do something different and be a part of a film that had a strong social message. Plus, I felt that given the current situation in Pakistan, everything,a film like this needed to be made. After Khuda Kay Liye, no films released in Pakistan. I want to act and sing and bring love and peace through my music and movies.

Critics sometimes accuse your music of being off key and that you would not be a great singer without the music directors?
To be very honest, when the music directors ask me to sing a particular song it is not only their song, I have given my version and my melody as well. I have performed all over the world to packed audiences. I don't have to be a trained musician to prove my singing abilities to my critics. I am playing the guitar for the last five years and know how to break into a rock song or a sad song or sing a complete commercial Bollywood song. My songs are regularly played at discs in India. I don't consider myself to be a great musician but my first album was a record hit in Pakistan. And in an industry where there was no future for pop singers, I survived, which is an example in itself.

Is crooning for Bollywood films necessary for Pakistani singers to survive?
I think Bollywood music market is going though a stagnant phase.The music is not as vibrant as it used to be earlier. It has become formula music for film directors. That's the reason why composers are looking for new sounds and voices. That's why Pakistani singers are now singing a lot of Bollywood songs. The era of RD Burman, Kishore Kumar and Mohammed Rafi is over. If you compare their music with the Himesh Reshammiya kind of music, you know what it is all about. Personally if you ask me, the only guy who is doing well today is Pritam (Chakraborty).

What is your take on the licensing of music content on channels as well as other mediums?
Bollywood films are very big now. The reality television shows are a big hit with the masses with their Bollywood songs. Even if these TV shows are scripted people are watching them. So even if we make efforts nothing can be done to make the artists popular. Artists are doing a lot of concerts all over the world now. Even the pop music scene in Pakistan is picking up. It is difficult to categorize my music. I believe in quality of music and I would like to sing songs like Le ja tu mujhe (F.A.L.T.U)... than maybe a Tere liye (Prince) if I were to be given a choice.

Would you consider forming a band again?
Only if it is with new members! I will work on an international project with one of the ex-members of Guns 'n' Roses. I am thankful to all the people I worked with in India who have made me what I am today. The credit definitely goes to all Indians. Hopefully, I'll act in a Bollywood film also.

{Via TOI }