Adnan Sami, the Pakistan-born singer and composer who became an Indian citizen in 2016, has opened up about the circumstances that led him to move to India and build his music career here.
What
- In a recent interview with India TV, Adnan Sami said he faced a lack of support in the Pakistani music industry after his 1998 songs failed to receive marketing and promotion.
- "After the songs I released in 1998, people in the Pakistani music industry thought I'm finished. So they didn't provide any marketing for those songs. Nobody got to know when the album released and vanished. I was very dejected. I was in Canada at that time. I knew they'd done that on purpose," he said.
- Sami recalled discussing his struggles with legendary singer Asha Bhosle, who had worked with him on songs like Kabhi To Nazar Milao.
He shared, "I told Asha ji I'm dejected because people here have decided they don't want to work with me for whatever reason, and that I want to record with her in London."
In response, Bhosle advised him to move to Mumbai, saying, "'Why do you want to record in London?' she asked me. I said I know some people there. So she said, 'See, if you really want to do something new, come to Mumbai. This is the capital of Hindi music. Whatever gets popular here would spread out to the rest of the world. So this is the place to come.'"
"Main boriya bistar le ke pahuch gaya Mumbai," Sami said, recalling how Bhosle and her family supported him during his early days in India. "She made me stay in RD Burman's home. I was very lucky because it was like a music temple," he added.
The songs that had earlier gone unnoticed in Pakistan became hits in India. "The songs that didn't work in Pakistan, like Kabhi To Nazar Milao, Bheegi Bheegi Raaton Mein, Lift Karadey, they were marketed so well that the rest is history. The way people embraced me and loved me, I could've never imagined it."
Background
Adnan Sami also spoke about the immense respect Indian audiences have for music. "You can't deny the audience and the masses are in huge quantity today. The attitude and respect for music here can't be matched anywhere else," he said.
He expressed sadness over how legendary Pakistani artists like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Mehdi Hassan, and Reshma faced tough times despite their talent. "The audience loves them and has always praised them. But the authorities have never offered any help. These are just a few names. There have been many others like this, including actors," he said.
Responding to a letter allegedly written by then-Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf to his father in 2005, Sami said, "There was no truth to that letter. In 2005, I wasn't an Indian citizen. I was a Pakistani citizen. I don't know where he got the wrong information from. It's obvious that it's gone from the bottom to the top. That's why everyone just disowned me."
Sami added that his move to India was not motivated by money. "Money wasn't my driving force. In fact, when I came here, I had to start from scratch again," he said. "I was facing a lot of problems then as a Pakistani citizen, especially in a public profession. Everyone knows all your moves. I had even reached out to Musharraf for help."
He applied for Indian citizenship in 2015 and was granted it the following year. Earlier this year, he was awarded the Padma Shri, India's fourth-highest civilian honour.
In A Nutshell
Adnan Sami revealed he moved to India after facing neglect from the Pakistani music industry and receiving encouragement from Asha Bhosle. He credited India for embracing his music and clarified that his decision to seek Indian citizenship was not driven by money but by professional struggles. Sami was granted citizenship in 2016 and recently received the Padma Shri.
