Pakistani singer Ali Azmat, who was born in Abbottabad and is recording two numbers for ‘Jism 2’, recently talked about music and more. After singing ‘Garaj baras’ in ‘Paap’, Azmat took a long break from Bollywood while many other Pakistani singers made it big in Hindi movies, he says, “After ‘Paap’, I did two songs each for ‘Tera Kya Hoga Johnny’ and ‘Mumbai Cutting’. But the movies never got released. It’s not that I wouldn’t like to do the regular Bollywood songs but the fact is that I couldn’t do it.” So what was it about ‘Jism 2’s songs that made him say yes? “It feels good to work with friends. I’ve known Pooja (Bhatt) and Munish Makhija since a long time.” Since Ali had problems getting a visa to go to India for the recording sessions, word is that he might end up recording on Skype. Ali says it has been two years since he has been trying to get a visa to India. Asked about his hometown, Abottabad, now controversially infamous for Osama bin Laden’s killing, he says: “I feel Osama wasn’t killed there. Where is the actual proof that he was? We didn’t get to see Osama’s body. Various French intelligence reports had said that Osama might have died between 2001 and 2003. He was suffering from acute diabetes and it was apparently impossible for him to survive in the mountains for so long. Just because the Western media is saying something doesn’t mean it is the ultimate truth.” About his terms with Salman Ahmad’s Junoon now, he says Junoon doesn’t exist anymore. “Being an ex-member of Junoon, I too can call my band by that same name. I don’t mind if my band is called Klashinfolk, Social Circus or simply Ali Azmat. I prefer not to waste my energy talking on why Salman is calling his band Junoon now. When I have to live in an environment where there is 12 hours of powercut, bombings, bad press about my country and visa problems every time I want to travel abroad, what’s the point in debating over names?” Azmat wishes Salman good luck for his acting debut in Bollywood. “I’ve done Pakistani tele-films and I like the idea of transforming myself. My videos (read ‘Bum Bum Phaata’) are hard-hitting satires where I’ve mimicked politicians. I’m interested in character acting and am open to doing Indian movies if the offers are good.”
Ali Azmat to record songs online for new Indian film
