Mumbai, 12 March 2009. In a
special programme, Atif Aslam Unplugged, the popular Pakistani
pop-singer speaks exclusively to the BBC’s Deepak Sharma about his
singing career, his entry into Bollywood, favourite songs, singers and
actors and his fan following. The singer also shares with the BBC his
childhood memories and his aspirations.
The programme, which is
interspersed with Atif Aslam’s favourite Bollywood numbers as well as
songs from his various albums, will be broadcast on Thursday 12 March
on Radio One 94.3 FM in Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai
and Pune. The interview will also be rebroadcast by the following BBC
partner stations in India: Radio Chaska in Gwalior, Radio Choklate in
Bhubaneshwar, Cuttak and Rourkela, Radio Misty in Siliguri, Radio
Rangila in Raipur, Radio Tadka in Jaipur and Udaipur, Tomato FM in
Kolhapur. It will also be aired by Radio Spice in Dubai, UAE.
Talking
to the BBC, Atif says that training is not needed to become a singer
and he, for one, is a born singer: “A singer should not be criticised
just because he is not trained because, according to me, you do not
need training for singing.”
When he was young, Atif wanted to be
a cricketer and even was selected for the under-19s team. But he
believes he was destined to be a singer and is enjoying his life today.
It was Mahesh Bhatt who recognised his talent and, after listening to
his song Woh Lamhe, introduced him to Bollywood.
Atif says that he is a big fan of Kishore Kumar: “It was Kishore Da’s songs which inspired me to become a singer.” -[NF]
