‘Delhiites wait to catch a glimpse of me’ O

nce a Delhiite, always a Delhiite — this stands true for rapper-singer Raftaar. And the city loves the musician back. “Outside my house in Delhi, you will find at least 10 guys waiting to catch a glimpse of me,” he says. The fan love doesn’t stop there, as some get their hair coloured like him, and others tattoo his name. “It’s a very weird feeling for me to digest all that’s happening,” the rapper says, adding, “I guess it’s just the brotherly love that I’m getting from guys. I don’t know what it is with the girls (laughs) When I say tera bhai kisse kam hai tere bhai mein bhi dum hai (lyrics of his song Swag Mera Desi), those who connect the most to the lyrics, are the Delhi people because that’s where I’m from, and that’s where the lingo belongs to,” he says.

There’s a clear difference in the way Mumbai treats him, and the way the Capital does. “Mumbai people don’t care much because it’s usual for them to see a TV serial guy or a movie actor. But Delhiites love artists. Anybody from the entertainment industry who visits Delhi, gets an amazing response,” says Raftaar.

His success from a Delhi boy to a rapper sensation in Bollywood has been a subject of much admiration among his fans. “I came from Rohini, I used to stay in Munirka. My movement has been from North Delhi to South Delhi and that means from zero to infinity––like the name of my album. Guys connect with me because they think, ‘he’s made it, so maybe we’ll make it someday as well.”

Like a true Delhi-walah he loves food. “We travel to Chandni Chowk, Nizamuddin and even Lajpat Nagar ke flyover ke neeche Saleem ke pas bhi jate they khaane. You ask me a joint for good food and I’ll tell you where to go in Delhi. I’m a proper foodie but now I have to control a bit. Earlier, I never thought about my weight. Now, as the phase is that you have to be fit, isme thoda avoid karna padta hai bahar ka.”