The week I meet Rahat coincides with the date of Nusrat's twelfth death anniversary.
Rahat talks to Instep about the album, working in India and what the future holds for the tradition of qawalis and gharanas. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan has settled into our consciousness as more than just the inheritor of Nusrat's legacy. Several Bollywood hits including 'Jiya Dhadak Dhadak' and 'O Re Piya', a stint at Coke Studio's first season, numerous private performances, work on the Mel Gibson - directed Apocalypto soundtrack and the groundbreaking album Charkha followed. His respect for musicians and producers alike, combined with the now forgotten tradition of suffixing bhai and sahibs after a name, signifies his genuine respect for his peers even if they espouse entirely different genres of music.ĭespite having been announced as Nusrat's musical heir in 1997, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan took the subcontinent's musical sensibilities by storm with the soulful 'Mann Ki Lagan' for the film Paap, released in 2004. Down to earth and friendly, he speaks in a low tone of voice, often lapses into thoughtful silence before talking and quotes couplets to punctuate a point. Yet Rahat seems unfazed by the praises lavished on him, his popularity and his stature as Nusrat's musical heir.
The torchbearer of a gharana that has been producing music for 600 years, the hope of a nation still in mourning for Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and a brilliant vocalist: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan talks to Instep about keeping Nusrat's legacy alive, his next album and what the future holds for Pakistani musicĭescribed as an "absolute gem and an amazing guy" by Charkha co-producer Rohail Hyatt and a "maestro" by friends who have seen him perform live, one expects an air of grandeur to surround him.