Singer Kavita Seth, who’s worked with Pakistani poet Rehman Faris, on new calls for ban on artistes
Shravan Shah (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 4, 2018)

Kavita Seth, who rose to fame with songs like “Iktara” in Wake Up Sid, “Tumhi Ho Bandhu” in Cocktail and “Jeete Hai Chal” in Neerja, has now collaborated with Pakistani poet Rehman Faris for a new single, “Ye Jo Mujh Par Nikhaar Hai”. “When I met Rehman bhai during a mushaira, his shayari touched my heart and I thought of composing a song written by him,” the singer tells Mirror, asserting that a song is a song, no matter who writes it or who composes and sings it. “We should not limit artists. There has to be an exchange of ideas which helps in nourishing various art forms.”

In light of a renewed call for ban on Pakistani artists in India, was she apprehensive about the collaboration? “It doesn’t matter to me where an artist is from. If I find somebody who is talented, I will work with them,” Kavita reiterates.

Talking about political upheavals affecting art in both countries, she says, “Only the politicians know what they are up to. Listeners just connect to the music. Politicians can do their job, let artists do theirs. Both Indian and Pakistani artists have huge fan following and that is something I really like.” The singer also informs that she was to collaborate with Atif Aslam and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan on different projects last year but they didn’t work out for various reasons. “I would certainly colaborate with them if another opportunity comes my way,” Kavita adds.

And what about Indian films roping in Pakistani singers without crediting them for fear of backlash, you wonder, and the singer explains, “We can’t blame music labels for that. At the end of the day, they want to continue work without disrupting things. If the song works, people will eventually find out who sang it. We live in the digital age where people look up everything online.”