People will listen to Wadekar, Sonu in long run: Shafqat

Pakistani singer Shafqat Amanat Ali says the younger crop of singers in Bollywood are promising but in the long run people will listen to the likes of Suresh Wadekar and Sonu Nigam.
"There are new voices in Hindi films these days and they are not disappointing listeners. Their songs are popular. But there are singers like Shankar Mahadevan, Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal, Sunidhi Chauhan, Hariharan and Suresh Wadekar. People listen to them now and will continue listening to them even years down the line," Shafqat told PTI.
The 49-year-old singer, who belongs to the Patiala Gharana lineage, said whenever he has some free time, he likes to tune into Kishor Kumar and R D Burman songs.

"The work leaves me with less time to catch on with the current music and when I get time chance I switch to Kishor Da (Kumar) and R D Burman songs. But every now and then while travelling, for instance, I hear new singers and composers on FM," he said.
Shafqat, who is in the Capital to participate in the Punjabi Festival, said performing in India is more like reviving bonds for him.
"There is not really difference between the two nations. It's just the matter of crossing the 'official' boundary and after that it does not seem as if I am in a different place.

"The mutual cultural heritage is similar on both sides of the LoC. The Punjab region, even after partition remains same in terms of lifestyle, culture and representing Pakistan on this occasion is like reviving bonds with the region and reviving the oneness," Shafqat said.