MUMBAI, April 20: England-born singer-composer Adnan Sami, who was granted Indian citizenship more than a year ago, says he has been greatly influenced by the folk music of the northeast and by maestros like Sachin Dev Burman.
"Northeastern folk music influenced me from a very young age. Sachin Dev Burman is one of the inspirational musicians in Indian film music. The way he fused folk music with his signature style is amazing. So, I am aware of the beauty of northeast folk music," said Adnan.
"Apart from the music, the natural beauty, its diverse cultures, the people and their hospitality mesmerised me. I have gone to many beautiful places across the globe, but I must say that the northeast of our country is the best-kept secret in the world," said the "Lift kara de" hitmaker, who is of Pakistani origin.
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Trained in Indian and Western classical music and known for rapid playing on the piano, Adnan is popular for hit non-film songs like "Kabhi to nazar milao", "Bheegi bheegi raaton mein" and "Tera chehra".
He also sang for Bollywood films like 'Ajnabee', 'Saathiya', 'Joggers' Park', 'Lucky: No Time for Love' and 'Bajrangi Bhaijaan'.
He received his certificate of Indian citizenship from Indian Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju in 2016 - a step that resulted in a barrage of criticism from Pakistan.
Asked if that bothered him, he said, "I know people criticised my decision, but honestly, I don't care. And why should I? I am a singer. You love me or hate me based on my music. If you are judging me based on my nationality and religion, you are a racist. This is very offensive. I cannot encourage that."
Last year, he even hailed the Indian Army for conducting surgical strikes across the Line of Control in Kashmir. As a result, he got trolled on Twitter by some Pakistanis.
How difficult is it to be in people's good books if you are a celebrity who likes to share his opinions without fear?
"Being a public figure, you cannot make everyone happy. Some people will criticise your actions and I cannot stop expressing my opinion based on that. As far as my opinion on surgical strikes is concerned, I explained it to the media clearly. I always stood by my opinion and will do that in future as well. I have never made any frivolous comment and never will," said Adnan, who once weighed some 230 kg, but inspiringly shed well over half of that through a combination of diet and exercise. He is now set to begin work on an upcoming Bollywood project. "We will be announcing the project very soon. I am composing songs for that."
