Adnan Sami Lives in This Beautiful House; Talks About His Past, Life in Pakistan and Much More!

He's always in a good mood, but the day was special or I was just being lucky! Inviting us to his beautiful home on the 13th floor of a Mumbai based high rise, Adnan Sami gave a feel of a live concert on his piano. He had invited us to talk about the love he received for his performance at the Wembley in UK for all the eight times he did his live acts there. Not been able to see him live at the foreign destination, he takes the hot seat as he begins to weave magic on his piano exclusively for us! From Kabhi Toh Nazar Milao, Bheegi Bheegi Raaton Mein to his recent hits he;s just non-stop as sways playing the musical instrument with his closed eyes.

As we sit for a chat, the ace musician talks to us about the joys of going live for the audience. He also openly talks to us about his Indian citizenship, his past life in Pakistan, his Afghan origins, terror attacks and a lot more. Read On&

On performing live for eight times at the Wembley

I grew up in London and somehow I feel that the British audience connects with me for the same reason. I get overwhelmed seeing the response in the form of packed houses. I have performed at a lot of places in the UK, but Wembley is magical. It;s an iconic venue for the musicians, just like Lloyds stadium is for the cricketers. Live performances give me another high, as you get feedback from the audience then and there, unlike, recording a track at a studio. There you record thinking and hoping that once your music releases, people would like it. For me live; is intoxicating. My first performance was at the age of seven but till date I get butterflies in my stomach every time I am about to step up the stage.

On performing in the country of origin - Pakistan

I perform anywhere and everywhere in the world where they call me with love. I will love everybody who loves me. If tomorrow they (Pakistan) call me I will go and perform. Today I am a proud Indian, but when I held a Pakistani passport, didn;t India call me? And did I not come? Similarly, today I am an Indian and if they call me with love and respect then why not?

About his life and memories of Pakistan

I was born in England and got educated there. My father was a diplomat and we lived in different countries of the world. I never grew up in Pakistan, but spent a couple of years here and there in that country. My childhood memories would be more of Portugal or of England or other parts of the world where my father was posted. We used to visit Pakistan from time to time for odd vacations here and there. I was 21 years old when I stayed there, but it was more like an extended vacation. Therefore I have got no memories of Pakistan as such.

His Afghanistan origins

In Pakistan, Peshawar is where we have our ancestral home. My father is originally from Herat, Afghanistan, while my mother is from Jammu. In Herat, my grandfather was a governor to four provinces. We belonged to King Amanullah;s family. When the revolution took place, my paternal side had to flee from Herat and come to Peshawar. At that time Peshawar was part of Afghanistan before British India took a portion of that. By co-incidence, Peshawar became a part of British India and we established a family home there.

On his Indian citizenship and love for the country

I had been working in India for many years. It is in this country that I found compatibility; I got friends and love on social and professional level. I feel my creativity has found home, where I am able to express myself. Being able to express yourself through the medium of your talent is as important as breathing. If you happen to be a creative sole and happen to live in an environment where you are constantly being shut off, or you are not able to express freely or the audience in front of you does not understand what you sing then that;s something seriously wrong. I could have gone to London and made it my home as it was my home as I grew up there. But I felt there was something missing. India mein mujhe apnapan mila. I do lot of international tours but when I land in Mumbai, I breathe a sigh that chalo ghar aagaye. It;s good to be home.

On his weightloss and diet

Lot of people thought I did it through surgery. No, I did it purely through hardwork and diet. I did it because it was a question of my survival. I was given an ultimatum by doctors who said I had six months to live. So, it was like a do or die situation. I had weighed 230 kilos. It was a life threatening situation. I could not even lie down on my bed. There was so much of fat on my chest, if I lay down the fat would put pressure on my chest and would choke me. I couldn;t breathe. So for years I would sit and sleep on sofa, which lead to other complications. Being a foodie I used to eat a lot and had no control on my eating habits. I remember emptying the whole handies (utensil) of biryanis all by myself.

I am really blessed that things changed. I lost 167 kilos. I control my diet now. If earlier I ate an entire box of brownie at a time, now I only take two bytes of it and satisfy my taste buds. In terms of workout I hate being at the gym and following any exercise routines. So, I play squash to stay fit.

Remembering his favourite Pakistani singer

I am not really in touch with any Pakistani artists. The last person I was in touch with was Farida Khanum. I am a huge fan of hers. I saw her Coke Studio performance and got nostalgic listening to her ghazal. As an artist I just felt like talking to her and appreciating her talent so I spoke to her. She was very sweet and loving.

On Pakistani artists ban

Ofcourse artists are a universal property. However, I would reiterate what I said then (during the Uri attacks episode). I think what hurt the sentiments over here was the fact that they (Pakistani artists) did not condemn the attacks. It;s simple, did we not condemn the terror act that happened in Peshawar? Do they (Pakistan) not condemn what happened in Oklahoma or Florida? Then when a terror attack happens on our soil, why do they hesitate in condemning that? We are not asking you to condemn your government or your army, we just want you to be a part of our grief, just the way we become a part of your grief, is that so much to ask? People;s sentiment got hurt as there was silence from their side. Let;s put the conspiracy aside, as per your say terrorists are independent people, right? Toh theek hai, na tere na mere, let;s come together and condemn. Florida mein when a terror attack happens, jaha aapne kabhi kadam bhi nahi rakha, who aapke bade aziz ban gaye, that you condemned that attack. Paris ka flag aapne aapke picture ke saath lagaya and candle bhi jala di! You condemn that attack, but tell me Paris ne tere liye kiya kya hai that you show support to them? It is the mankind that the grief that brings you together right, then why not the same with India? Give me a shoulder to cry is just what I expect, and when you don;t do that I feel the friendship is one sided.

On his good friends in Bollywood

I know a most of them, as I am around since a long time. But it is Salman Khan;s family who I am close to. There have been times where in I call up Salim Khan or Salman for opinion and suggestions. Frankly, the only person who I was extremely close to was my father Arshad Sami Khan and would approach him in the time of crises.

Future projects

I am working on a new project which is a musical in the realm of a film. What;s special about this project is the fact it;s going to be my first project as an Indian citizen.