ChatDD Blog

Pakistan’s legendary Ghazal Queen Farida Khanum has a desire — she wants to sing for a Bollywood film. The 74-year-old who has held audiences spell-bound with her unforgettable melodies like “Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na karo”, “Dil Jalaane Ki Baat Karte Ho”, “Mere Humnawaz” and “Mohabbat Karne Wale”, has never got a chance to sing for a Hindi film. But she would love to do so now, she says.
“I never play backed for an Indian film because I have never stayed in Mumbai long enough to meet people and try out something. If I had stayed for a month or two and met people, something would have materialized and someone would have definitely approached me for films,” Khanum told IANS in an exclusive interview.
“But I was always in India only for two to four days, so there could never be an opportunity to meet more people and associate with them for a film project.
“Although nothing materialized in so many years and I still don’t get enough time to stay in India for long periods, I still have a desire to sing for a Bollywood film,” said the singer who is in the country after more than two years.
India-born Khanum, known for her full-throated rendition of Ghazals, is in the capital for the concert `Music For Soul II`, an initiative by NGO Routes2roots in association with the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).
Khanum, who learnt singing Khayals (a classical form of singing) from her sister Mukhtar Begum and then legend Ustad Ashiq Ali Khan, broke into the top league of Pakistani singers when she was invited to perform at a concert by the late Pakistan president Ayub Khan in 1960.