Adnan Sami has landed himself in the midst of controversy more than a few times and now he wants to stay away from it. Or so it seems.
According to Deccan Chronicle, while at a Wellness Congress event, the singer shared why he decided to pack his bags and move to India.
“I am a very emotional person. If someone lovingly asks me for my life, I’ll give it up. Indians have given me immense and unconditional love and I am very grateful. That was why I decided to apply for an Indian citizenship,” he said.
Another Indian daily, Business Standard, quoted the former Pakistani singer as having said, “India is my karma bhumi (workplace). I lived in various countries but my heart was always in India due to the love showered on me by the people.
“I had my own ups and downs in getting the Indian citizenship, but ultimately I got it and I am happy about it. I like India. My love is here. I am a proud Indian,” he added.
At the event he also touched upon his weight loss journey: “I was never apologetic about how I looked. Because my relationship with my audience was of music and I always managed to please them.”
But after going for a medical check-up upon his father’s insistence, he was told that his health could cause him death at any moment. When his father found out, he told Sami “that he didn’t want me to die before him.”
That paired with his father’s death in 2009, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer, caused him to re-evaluate his weight.
“That made me determined to shed that weight. I was 230kgs then. I worked hard on it. I lost 160kgs in six years. Losing weight was 80 per cent psychological and 20 per cent physical. My father has been my greatest inspiration and support system, and him saying that was a wake-up call for me,” he said.