He has lent his velvet voice to Shah Rukh Khan and made India croon along. Pakistani vocalist Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan,whose latest track,Dildaara,from Ra.One has soared up the music charts,has cemented his place in Bollywood. In the Capital to perform at the IIFT Annual Management Fest,Ali is riding high on the success of Dildaara and Mitwa from Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna,again for SRK. Indias film industry is robust. Every budding singer in this country aims for Bollywood. This cant happen in Pakistan because our film industry is weak. Pakistani singers aim to become another Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan or Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. The focus is hardcore practise, says Ali. The son of Ustad Amanat Ali Khan of the Patiala gharana,Ali belongs to an eminent Lahori family. He made his India entry a few years ago with Khamaj,the maiden hit album of his band Fuzon. Pakistani audiences,says Ali,still prefer the old-style music of his fathers times. This has helped him polish his own classical-style talent which we witnessed in Khamaj and Mora Saiyaan. Among those impressed by Khamaj was singer-music composer Shankar Mahadevan,who offered Ali the track Mitwa. Shankars music is terha (difficult). He has the knack of mainstreaming tough music. Ditto for Vishal-Shekhar,Sajid-Wajid,Salim-Sulaiman and Vishal Bhardwaj, says Ali. Expect his winning fusion of classical with pop and rock music today. The performance at IIFT will be held on November 20. Time: 7 pm
