‘It feels like an audition’

Ghazal legend Ghulam Ali tells us why performing in the city scares him

Ustad Ghulam Ali may be a ghazal icon, but he is a bundle of nerves every time he performs in Hyderabad. “The listeners here have such fine sensibilities that I feel like I’m giving an audition. In fact, I call it Audition City,” he quips. “I love coming here as I am invited with so much love and affection,” adds the Pakistani singer whose perfor mance will be followed by a felicitation by the AP state cultural council. Hyderabad is also a ‘divine’ place for the ghazal maestro, who shares, “My guru Bade Ghulam Ali Khan Sahab is buried here.”

There were suggestions that Ghulam Ali would briefly perform with his son Aamir. “Yes, Amir was supposed to perform with me this time but unfortunately he fell sick,” explains the father.

In 2007, when the Taj Mahal was declared one of the wonders of the world, Ghulam Ali sang in praise of the monument and the love that it symbolises. Asked to choose a Hyderabad monument that comes close, he immediately says, “One such monument that first comes to mind is the Chowmahalla Palace. When I first laid eyes on it, I felt that the walls are made of sur.”

Interestingly, the musical genius who has earned most of his fan following in India via Bollywood doesn’t watch movies himself. “I actually don’t watch movies at all. I just go and sing when I’m asked to. I am more focused on my ghazal singing. I have even sung in Telugu for a film. Of course, I don't remember the name!” he reveals.

Disappointed with the current music scenario, he says, “Music Directors compose music that is in demand and the audience gets what it wants. But I believe that if there is accha music, acche bol, surila gana (good music, good lyrics, singing in tune), it never fails. It’s the kind of music that lasts forever.” While there is a continuous infusion of music from Pakistan into India, whether in Bollywood or the popular Coke Studio performances, the same cannot be said about the influence of Indian music across the border. Does he think there is a need for further exchange? “Oh yes, music is a universal language — Paigham-e-Mohabbat,” says the singer, making a reference to the name of the event that he was invited to perform at in the city.

When I first saw Chowmahalla Palace, I felt that the walls are made of sur

GHULAM ALI