I'm here to share love: Atif Aslam on performing in India

Popular Pakistani musician Atif Aslam might not have been able to entertain his fans in Pune with his rock numbers and melodious tracks as his concert had to be cancelled, but he says he has no grudges and has only love to share with his Indian fans.

Aslam's concert was scheduled to be held in Pune on Saturday, but he couldn't play in the city due to opposition from a Hindu outfit.

"I respect all the promoters (of events) who invite us. But it is the responsibility of organisers. I love my fans and I like being in India. I'm a musician. I make music for everyone. I don't categorise (anyone) into Hindus or Muslims."

"When it comes to music, there are no boundaries. I'm here to share love. I'm not doing anything wrong. Whatever I earn, I make sure to pay taxes," Aslam told reporters here prior to his performance.

The 32-year-old, who entered Bollywood in 2005 with "Woh lamhe" from the film "Zeher", also shared that there is lot of love for Indian artists in his country.

"If you come to my country, you will see that there is lot of respect for Lataji (Mangeshkar). People still listen to Rafi-ji's songs and people try to copy Kishore Kumar. Even Bollywood dance steps are followed by Pakistanis," said Aslam.

The singer, who has performed in Indian cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad, is performing in Indore for the first time.

"It feels good to be back here. People have appreciated (my work) and called me back here. This time around, I'll be performing different kind of music - EDM (electronic dance music). It's not my kind of music. I'm looking forward to it."

"I will perform with a DJ. My band won't be there. I'll miss that. It will be completely electronic music, but I might do some unplugged songs," the "Tere bin", "Doorie" and "Jalpari" hitmaker told IANS.

He is here for Royal Stag MTV Bollyland, which is a series of multi-city music concerts that see the fusion of popular Bollywood soundtracks with heady electronic beats.

DJ Chetas and rapper Hard Kaur will also perform at the musical event on Sunday evening.

(The writer's trip is at the invitation of Pernod Ricard India. Natalia Ningthoujam can be contacted at natalianingthoujam@gmail.com)