In the spirit of a palate cleanser, I am sharing this musical performance. I was featured on Khaliq Chishti’s podcast (he runs a recording studio in Lahore). I performed Raga Rageshri and a Dadra in Raga Desh (“Cha Rahee Kali Ghata” which was originally sung by Begum Akhtar). Tabla is by Iftikhar Joseph.
I also want to use this opportunity to respond a bit to the recent post that argued that India and Pakistan are only linked by violence. I am a singer of Hindustani classical music and an ethnomusicologist. Hindustani classical music is obviously part of the shared Indo-Islamic culture that links North India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Eight decades of separation, wars and political tensions have not managed to completely destroy this common culture. This very fact goes to disprove the argument that the ONLY link between India and Pakistan is violence.
Indians are fond of Pakistani dramas. Fawad Khan is very popular in India. A new season of Pakistan Idol has recently started airing (Fawad is one of the judges along with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan) and I dare say Indians would be watching on YouTube. I have seen comments on Insta from Indians expressing their appreciation for Pakistani music. Pakistanis obviously watch Indian Idol.
My book–A New Explanation for the Decline of Hindustani Music in Pakistan (Aks Publications Lahore 2024)–was recently profiled on Scroll.in. Do read it if you are interested. Currently, the book is only available in Pakistan but we are working on publishing an Indian edition soon. One of the side effects of the bad relations between India and Pakistan is that books cannot travel across the border.
Kabir
Sounds good
Thanks!
Will check this out; very good post and rebuttal
Lovely to see & listen to your voice.
I think an interestinging to Kabir’s post; is how much Indian culture, art & film do Pakistanis consume.
Do Pakistanis watch Bollywood and if so how much? Is the average Pakistani super “au fait” with Bollywood?
I would like to hear neutral, high signal perspectives.
At least, the generation I belong to (born in 2001) loved Indian movies. I was just discussing with a friend today how Om Shanti Om (2007) is nonsensical yet lovely. I recently read this piece in TFT (a leading digital newspaper) that can help you gauge the impact:
https://www.thefridaytimes.com/21-Oct-2025/badshah-s-crown-ddlj-still-plays-theatre-30-years
And the generation after you? Is it Americana or India?
Pakistanis have historically consumed a lot of Indian media. It’s only natural given that our own media industry is much smaller and that Hindi/Urdu is essentially the same language. My late grandmother used to watch Indian soaps on Star Plus before she switched to Turkish soaps (dubbed in Urdu).
“Lollywood” movies were not considered to be very good for a long time. Zia ul Haq’s dictatorship really had a negative impact on films and on cinema as a family experience. When Indian movies were allowed, Pakistani cinemas showed a lot of Bollywood movies. I believe that due to the current political tensions, Indian films are not allowed to be shown in Pakistan. As I mentioned, even books and medicines cannot travel across the borders.
Indians watch Pakistani dramas. Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan are very popular in India. I met a guy in New York a couple years ago who told me that Coke Studio Pakistan was better than Coke Studio India (He was Indian).
The point is that whether we like it or not, there is a common culture that transcends borders. Of course one can argue that Hindi films are only a subset of Indian films. That argument would be correct. Because of the language barrier, Pakistanis are not consuming South Indian movies.
Personally, Bollywood is not to my taste. Many of the current movies are superficial and the rest are anti-Pakistan or anti-Islam. But many of the older films remain classics.
Presumably India doesn’t need Coke Studio the way Pakistan does..
The Indian music industry is obviously much bigger than the Pakistani one.
But this comment was more about the quality of the two Coke Studios. This guy was probably more familiar with Pakistani Coke Studio than I am. It only reinforces my point that–contrary to the views of the Saffroniate– many Indians are engaged with the common culture of both countries. Ali Sethi has many fans in India particularly after “Pasoori”.
Thanks!
Wonderful, thanks for sharing Kabir.
Thanks 🙂