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India Today
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
‘Rukhna Nahin': Why singer Aryana Sayeed hopes to be unstoppable in Bollywood
(NOTE: This article was originally published in the India Today issue dated May 19, 2025)Familial displeasure, death threats, a bounty on her head. Aryana Sayeed had to overcome all these obstacles, and more, on her way to becoming one of Afghanistan's most beloved pop stars.'I had basically accepted death,' says the 39-year-old musician and activist, who has made her Hindi debut with Rukhna Nahin, a song from the recent anthology film My Melbourne. 'I was so focused on my goals—making music, fighting for women's rights—and I felt that if I gave up, I'd be killing the hopes of millions of Afghan women.'advertisementSayeed was just eight when her family fled Afghanistan's civil war, stopping first in Pakistan and then Switzerland, where she fell in love with the music of pop divas like Madonna, Beyonc, Shakira (and our very own Alisha Chinai). At 13, she enrolled in a choir-singing class in Zurich, and decided she wanted to be a singer. Her conservative Afghan family disagreed, and she had to put those dreams on hold for a few years. But in 2008, now an adult living in London, she released her first single MashAllah, an English-Farsi-Urdu collaboration with a British-Pakistani guitarist. The song's success convinced her to become a full-time 2011, she had built quite a following back home, and one of Afghanistan's biggest TV channels invited her to perform a live concert in Kabul. 'We came very close to dying before we left Afghanistan, our house was even hit by a rocket,' says Sayeed. 'So, my initial response to the invitation was no, no, no!'advertisementHer manager convinced her to say yes instead, and the concert was a big success. She was signed on to host her own TV show, and was also a judge on two of Afghanistan's biggest music talent shows—The Voice of Afghanistan, and Afghan Star. Sayeed's presence on television—a talented woman singer who didn't wear a scarf—made her a role model for other Afghan women. 'I started seeing more and more women in the audience as participants,' she everyone was on board. The threats from the Taliban and other conservative religious figures meant that when she was in Afghanistan, she had to live in the same compound as the TOLO TV studios, because travelling was too risky. When the Taliban retook Kabul in 2021, Sayeed was one of thousands who were evacuated by the US in military planes. But that traumatic experience hasn't deterred her from advocating for Afghan women. She speaks to over 200 women still in the country every month, as part of her work with an NGO she's she continues to sing. Rukhna Nahi is her first Hindi song, but it won't be her last. 'We love Bollywood, and it's a dream for me to do more Bollywood songs,' she says. 'I want people in India to know me, my story, and get to hear my voice.'advertisementSubscribe to India Today MagazineMust Watch
India Today
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- India Today
Songs of freedom
Familial displeasure, death threats, a bounty on her head, Aryana Sayeed had to overcome a number of obstacles on her way to becoming one of Afghanistan's beloved pop stars. 'I had basically accepted death,' says the 39-year-old musician and activist, who has made her Hindi debut with Rukhna Nahin, a song from the recent anthology film, My Melbourne. 'I felt that if I gave up, I'd be killing the hopes of millions of Afghan women.'
Hindustan Times
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Kabir Khan recalls having ‘a lot of tussle' with Salman Khan on Ek Tha Tiger set: ‘Film wasn't completely in my control'
Actor Salman Khan and filmmaker Kabir Khan have delivered two of the biggest blockbusters — Ek Tha Tiger and Bajrangi Bhaijaan. In a recent interview with India TV, Kabir spoke about the challenges of working with Salman on Ek Tha Tiger and recalled a tussle between them when they began shooting. (Also Read: Salman Khan confirms film with Atlee is delayed, announces new actioner with Sanjay Dutt: Its action is on another level) Kabir Khan talks about the tussle between him and Salman Khan during Ek Tha Tiger. Kabir shared how Aditya Chopra encouraged him to make a film with the actor. He described his transition from making documentaries and small-budget films to directing a major actor as very organic. He said, 'He (Aditya) told me, 'Kabir, making a film with a big star is a different beast and a different kind of film altogether, and I feel that you can now step up to that.' Then we wrote Tiger. I never consciously thought that I would have to do something in a specific way just because Salman was in it. It's just that the storyteller in me wanted to do certain things because I knew he could carry it off. In a certain sense, fan service also starts to come in when you have a star in front of you and you know you can do all these things with someone of Salman's calibre.' However, Kabir added that when they arrived on set, there was 'a lot of tussle' between him and Salman. He continued, 'It was just the third film of my career, and here I was dealing with Salman at his peak. It was also his first time working with Yash Raj Films, and it was a new territory for him — action, and we were trying to make it international, so a lot of churning happened. Sometimes I had to pull him down and stop him from going overboard; sometimes he was pulling me up to do more. Some discussions were amicable, and some left one of us sulking. Even though Tiger was not completely in my control, I feel that something interesting happened between the two of us — the energy that formed between us.' The filmmaker added that Ek Tha Tiger created a great understanding between them, which eventually led to the making of Bajrangi Bhaijaan. About Ek Tha Tiger Ek Tha Tiger was the first instalment in the YRF Spy Universe. Directed by Kabir Khan, the film also featured Katrina Kaif, Ranvir Shorey, Roshan Seth, Girish Karnad, and Gavie Chahal in key roles. It marked the first collaboration between Yash Raj Films and Salman Khan and turned out to be a major commercial success, earning ₹ 320 crore worldwide at the box office. Kabir Khan and Salman Khan's recent and upcoming films Kabir recently directed a film in the anthology My Melbourne. It features four stories about identity and belonging, inspired by real incidents in Melbourne, Australia, and addresses themes such as diversity, sexuality, gender, disability, and race. It was released in India on March 14. He is yet to announce his next project. Meanwhile, Salman was most recently seen in the film Sikandar. Directed by AR Murugadoss and produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, the film failed to make a strong impact at the box office, earning only ₹ 184.89 crore worldwide. The actor will next be seen in another action film alongside Sanjay Dutt. He also has Kick 2, produced by Sajid Nadiadwala, in the pipeline.
