Adnan Sami chose India on Asha Bhosle's advice: 'People in Pakistani music industry just decided I was done'

Time of India

2 days ago

Adnan Sami
, who was originally from Pakistan, took Indian citizenship in 2016. Adnan revealed that the reason he chose to make a career in India wasn't just money, but because he felt dejected in Pakistan.
In a recent interview, he revealed how
Asha Bhosle
motivated him to be here when he was all disappointed. He added how she made him feel at home in Mumbai when they worked together on 'Kabhi Toh Nazar Milaao'. After that, the rest was history as he got a lot of love and fame here.
In a candid new interview with India TV, singer Adnan Sami opened up about the deeply personal struggles that led him to shift his musical journey from Pakistan to India, a move that would ultimately redefine his career.
"After I released a few songs in 1998, people in the Pakistani music industry just decided I was done," Sami said, recalling the period with visible disappointment. "They didn't even bother to promote the album. There was no marketing, nothing. It came out, and no one even knew. It disappeared like it never existed. That really broke me."
At the time, Sami was living in Canada, processing the betrayal he felt from an industry that had once embraced him.
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"I knew they'd done it deliberately. That realization hit me hard."
Looking for hope, Sami turned to a legendary figure, Asha Bhosle, who had sung the timeless 'Kabhi To Nazar Milao' with him for his 1997 album Badaltey Mausam.
'I told Asha ji, 'I'm dejected. I feel people back home have made up their minds not to work with me, for reasons I don't even know.' I asked her if we could record something together in London,' he shared.
Her response shifted the course of his life.
''Why London?' she asked me. I said, 'I know some people there, maybe I could work with them.' And she said, 'Look, if you really want to do something impactful, come to Mumbai. This is the capital of Hindi music. If something works here, it goes global. This is the place where magic happens.''
Inspired, Sami took the plunge. 'Main boriya bistar le ke pahuch gaya Mumbai,' he laughed, remembering the moment he arrived in the city with nothing but hope and his music.
'Asha ji and her entire family looked after me like their own.'
He shared how Bhosle offered him more than just professional support, she gave him a sanctuary. 'She made me stay in RD Burman's house. For a musician, that place was like a temple. I was so lucky.'
Mumbai proved to be the turning point. The songs that had faded into obscurity in Pakistan found new life, and massive success, in India. 'Kabhi To Nazar Milao, Bheegi Bheegi Raaton Mein, Lift Karadey, they were marketed brilliantly here.
The rest, as they say, is history,' said Sami with gratitude. 'The love and acceptance I received... I never imagined it in my wildest dreams.'
He emphasized that while greats like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Mehdi Hassan, and Reshma earned love in Pakistan, their true popularity skyrocketed outside. 'You can't deny it, the audience here is massive. The attitude towards music, the respect for musicians, it's unmatched.'
But he didn't shy away from pointing out the painful reality many Pakistani legends faced. 'The world loved Mehdi Hassan sahib and Reshma ji, but their last days were tragic. No support from the system, no help. Just forgotten. There are so many others like them, not just singers, even actors.'
Addressing the infamous letter from then-Pakistani President General Pervez Musharraf to his father in 2005, which accused him of betraying Pakistan, Sami responded firmly.
'That letter had no truth. In 2005, I was still a Pakistani citizen, I hadn't even become Indian yet,' he clarified. 'I don't know who misinformed him, but clearly, something wrong was passed up the chain. And just like that, everyone turned their backs on me.'
With honesty and humility, Adnan Sami's story isn't just about music, it's about finding home, respect, and love in a place where he least expected it.
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