Members of the Pakistani band Raga Boyz tell K Bhardwaj that they are flooded with offers from Bollywood. They have also composed a sufi song for a Bengali film
Having staged over 30 performances in various Indian cities in last seven years, Pakistan-based band Raga Boyz is finally getting its due in Indian film industry. last year, the three-member band had composed a special song Mann Qunto Maula for Sonu Sood starrer Maximum. Now they happily talk about more songs lined up in forthcoming films. “We have done a song Ishq Da Chadiya for Amar Must Die. The film is directed by Param Gill and features Rajeev Khandelwal and Zarine Khan. It’s a sufi rock song,” said lead vocalist Wali Hamid Ali Khan from the band.
The other song Ali Ali Tu Kar Bandiya for Bengali movie love You Soniye is even more special. It will introduce sufi music to Tollywood. “For the first time, any Pakistani artist would sing in Tollywood. Also, with this song, sufi music debuts in Bengali cinema,” he told us.
They have also composed title track of Mubarakaan, an upcoming project by Viacom 18. “It is a typical Punjabi number, a popular format in Bollywood nowadays. It has a lot of energy and dhamaal,” he said.
Raga Boyz comprises three brothers, belonging to the Patiala gharana of music. The eldest brother, Nayab Ali, is a classical singer. Wali Hamid Ali, who is the lead vocalist in the band, is a pop and semi classical singer and composer. And the youngest, Inam Ali, is a hard core classical singer.
They will be performing at Blue Frog in Delhi tomorrow. The musical do will feature tracks from their latest album Raga Rocks–The Ultimate Raga Fusion, released by Times Music in India. “The album consists of 11 songs, most of which are raga-based. Indian classical compositions are fused magnificently with rock and R&B styles. There is also a couple of sufi and folk-based songs. For the first time, we have collaborated with any Indian singer (Akriti Kakkar). She has sung laage Re Nain which is based on raga Bhoopali,” shared Nayab Ali.
Wali urged Indian musicians not to oppose Pakistan’s presence in Bollywood. “Music is universal. We feel comfortable in India,” he said.