4 days ago
Pakistani music industry thought I was finished: Adnan Sami on his move to India; Asha Bhosle's ‘life-changing' advice
Adnan Sami, now a prominent name in India's music scene, recently revealed that his decision to shift to India from Pakistan wasn't driven not by fame or money, but 'dejection' from how 'people in the Pakistani music industry thought' he was 'finished'. It was Asha Bhosle, who gave the singer an advice that changed his life around.
In a heartfelt interview with India TV, Adnan shared the struggles that pushed him to leave Pakistan and find a new beginning in India.
'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,' Adnan Sami told India TV during his interview.
In the middle of this emotional low point, Adnan Sami reached out to legendary singer Asha Bhosle. The two had worked together on the hauntingly beautiful Kabhi To Nazar Milao, and Adnan asked if they could record together again — this time in London.
Adnan Sami was eyeing London as he already knew some people there. But Asha ji had other plans.
The 'Piya Tu Ab Toh Aaaja' singer advised Adnan Sami to shift to Mumbai instead.
'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,' Asha Bhosle had told Adnan Sami.
That advice lit a spark in the singer.
'Main boriya bistar le ke pahuch gaya Mumbai,' Adnan laughed — 'I packed my bags and came to Mumbai.' And Asha Bhosle didn't just welcome him — she and her family made him feel at home.
The 'Saalam-e-Ishq' singer was even given a place to stay in RD Burman's house, which he described as nothing short of a 'temple for any musician.'
From that moment, everything changed.
Songs that were overlooked in Pakistan — like Kabhi To Nazar Milao, Bheegi Bheegi Raaton Mein, and Lift Karadey — found new life and massive popularity in India.
"The way people embraced me and loved me, I could've never imagined it, " Adnan told India TV.
Addressing the backlash he faced from Pakistan — a 2005 letter from then-President General Pervez Musharraf accusing him of betrayal — Adnan asserted:
"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."
