With true-blue Pakistani stars like Fawad Khan making a mark in Bollywood today, it won't be wrong to say that Ali Zafar was among the first to make his presence felt as an actor, in the true sense of the term. He not only blended into the landscape of Indian blended into the landscape of India film industry effortlessly but also stayed put unlike his predecessors. However, rather than resting on his laurels, the actorsinger is eager to add to his multiple skills and explore newer avenues. In a no-holds-barred interview with BT, Ali chats about a wide array of topics - right from his new album to the possibility of breaking his no-kissing clause; why he enjoys his stint as a Bollywood hero and several issues plaguing his homeland...

So, you are back to your first love - music.
Someone told me that one should not forget one's roots. I started off as a singer but realised over a period of time that I was ignoring music. You have to make time for your passion. For me, music is a way of expressing myself. In my music album, the songs signify whatever is close to me, my feelings and thoughts at this point in time. I have entered new emotional and mental arenas and my thoughts are redefined now.

What about singing and composing more in Bollywood?
I wouldn't mind singing songs that I like and making them for Hindi films. But my priority would be independent music and I would like to keep up with it.

In one of your earlier interviews, you had mentioned that you would like to write, direct and act in a Pakistani film. Any progress on that front?
I would like to direct at some point, but for now, I just want to act and sing. I'm working on two projects in Pakistan. The idea is to make them international and bring them to India as well. See, in Bollywood, I have played the quintessential chocolate-boy hero. Now, I aspire to portray roles where I can explore my acting chops. I want to play characters which don't require me to just look good, be charming and flamboyant, but enact strong emotions. I am looking at roles, which are a breakaway from what I have done already and allow me to step out of my comfort zone.

Your compatriot Fawad Khan follows a no-kissing policy. However, you don't seem to be as conscious or feel the need to incorporate such clauses to maintain your image.
I was the one who started the no-kissing clause. It was applicable in Chashme Baddoor and my previous films since I wasn't too comfortable with it back then. Having said that, I feel sometimes you need to take some liberty as an actor. Let's see if I stick to this clause in the future. I won't say I don't mind locking lips now. It's just that I may not be as stringent about it anymore.

Are you wary of doing that because of the reactions you might get in Pakistan?
I take into account feelings and emotions of my people back home and I would never like to do anything that hurts or offends them in any manner. I have always been cautious of what roles I take and how I go about them.

But as an artiste, shouldn't you be free of such restrictions?
We don't live in a free world. Even an artiste has certain responsibilities and he can't be selfish and think of only what he wants to do. My people have been very generous. They are more open-minded than they are perceived to be.

How is their mindset different as compared to that of people in India?
Like in India, Pakistan too has its share of conservatives and liberals. There are all sorts of people there as well. I respect each one's ideology as long as it does not hurt another being. I respect everyone, but having said that, you can't make everyone happy.

Pakistani singer Amjad Sabri was assassinated last month. Your thoughts on the gruesome act...
He was a fellow musician and carried a great legacy. I remember him as a gentle, pleasant human being, always loving and respectful towards me. In an interview, he even sang one of my songs and mentioned that he liked me among the modern singers. So when my mother told me about his death, it broke my heart even further. Any act of brutality should not be condoned. In fact, humans should not come to this point in the first place.

How does it feel to belong to a country, which is often in the news for terrorism and killings?
Pakistan is a beautiful country with beautiful people. We wish its positive side is shown to the world than what they are exposed to. I believe that people like me, who travel the world, have a responsibility to make our country proud and educate people about the things that they don't really get to see about us. Killings did not start overnight, it's always been there. There have been wars and brutality through the ages. Where there has been love, there has been hatred. There are societies, where women have been respected and places and times in history when that's not happened. In the current era, we, as global citizens, need to sit down, pause for a second and figure out why is all this happening. There's something wrong in the consciousness of mankind, maybe, we are not trained to look at things the way it should be. Maybe, greed has become the fundamental component of our ambition or mindset. We are aspiring towards something which is driven by greed or material pursuit sometimes. This is why it is imperative to connect with the spiritual side of humanity on a global level. We need to come together to work towards it. What will happen to the planet if there is destruction all around? There will be no planet left. We need to think collectively.

Do your friends in Bollywood share their apprehensions about your country and ask you about it?
My experience over here has been fantastic. I have been made to feel at home in India. I have been treated extremely well by the producers and directors I have worked with and we are still friends. People are curious about Pakistan and when I tell them about the lesser-known facts, show them pictures and videos from back home, they are pleasantly surprised.

You've done many multicultural projects over the years. Can you describe how you crafted the music for the film Pele?
The director had heard my music and liked it. The music for this film was not meant to be entirely Brazilian, it also had to be contemporary. They wanted a mix of everything, of what I was doing before. I sent them some ideas and they liked them.We looked into what would be very Brazilian as well as international. The music contains love, sadness, anger, compassion. All these emotions are part of the human spirit. Whether you are a sportsman or a musician, you experience them, and everyone can relate to them. Doing music is very similar to playing sports. So the music in the film had to have the colour of that culture, but the heart of it is always universal. It should touch someone from Kerala or Kashmir or Brazil.

Your music has touched so many people. What do you think music does for people, at a very fundamental level?
You see so many things these days - on television, on the internet, and all around us. Good things, bad things...More bad things, in fact. But if you just close your eyes and shut everything out and listen to music, it transports you, it takes you out of the chaos and makes you think even of things that are unthinkable. I think the magic of music has still to be explored fully. We have only scratched the surface. I still feel like a student every time I go into that space.

Recently, there was the terrible murder of a qawwal, Amjad Sabri, in Pakistan. How can we respond to this kind of intolerance?
We should actually stop talking about all this, because it makes people angry and anger is a branch of foolishness. You cannot change what is happening in the world outside. You have to keep looking within and working on self-refinement and strive to make people happy. You have to keep doing what you're doing, change yourself, and the world will change.

Can you talk a little bit about the role music has played in your own life?
I always feel so blessed that I had music from the beginning, from a very young age. I have to credit my mother who helped me choose my career. The thing is music has never felt like work. You go into the studio, spend hours there, and it doesn't feel like work, it's like being on a holiday...not knowing what is going to come out. Only when there are deadlines then it feels like work. There is so much beauty in this profession, so much self-satisfaction.

Your music clearly has a strong spiritual undercurrent. How do you see the connection between music and what we call God?
I think any art is a reflection of your internal self. We have to keep remembering that it is a shrine to God. Whether you look at Carnatic music or north Indian classical music or Beethoven, it was all inspired by the divine. These were all offshoots of an internal faith, a belief in a higher ideal, which pulls us out of normal mundane life. That is the only thing which inspires us to keep working more, going into what is beyond us, aspiring for the unattainable.

You have explored such a wide range of musical styles and elements. What comes next?
I am finally releasing my movie, 99 Songs, which I have written. It's a film based on music, directed by Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy. The cast is entirely new. The hero is from Kashmir. Again, this movie is about self-discovery, love and art. I wanted to create a platform to explore all the questions that musicians con stantly have.

If there is one message you would like to pass on to all children, what would that be?
There's a saying that children come through us, not from us. Each one has independent knowledge and wisdom. Just keep going and keep refining yourself. Don't look at what is happening in the world outside.

On Wednesday, famous Pakistani qawwal Amjad Sabri was killed by assailants in Liaquatabad, Karachi. His elder sibling Sarwat Sabri speaks about the shocking turn of events. Excerpts:

On the morning of June 22, your brother had sung for a special Ramadan programme. What happened later that evening?
I got the devastating news when I was in London. Amjad normally used to take the Liaquatabad route to work. He was going to a channel's office for a programme. Amjad ki kissise dushmani nahin thi (he didn't have any enemies). He always spread the message of love and peace. I don't know whether to smile or cry at the moment, kyun ki hamare liye toh yeh shaheedi maani jaati hai.

Fakhr-e-Alam, chairman of the Sindh Censor Board, claimed in a tweet that your brother had earlier submitted an application for security, but the Home Department didn't act on it and later denied it. Did he fear that there a threat to his life?
Any known face in Karachi faces a threat today, but Amjad was not worried about it. He was an 'unthreatened person', who only feared God and no one else. He had not approached the Home Department for security. In fact, the Home Department reacted quickly to the assassination as everyone loved him. All the politicians from the government's side and from the opposition have paid their last respects to him.

Your mother, Asghari Begum, told a channel that about six months back, three unknown assailants had barged into their Karachi residence but eventually left since Amjad was not at home...
Yes, it is true. Some gunmen had stormed into our house. My sister, who is extremely brave, literally kicked them out. Karachi is in a state of anarchy at the moment and a political disaster is brewing.

Now, who will carry the legacy of the Sabri Brothers forward?
There are quite a few young men in the family. My son and my brothers' kids are keen to learn Sufi music. They are all under 15 and have already started training. My uncle, the famous Maqbool Sabri, would visit us in London. He would train my son and Amjad would come to meet us too. He was a dear friend to my children. Every time he paid us a visit, all of us would play cricket. I used to speak to him at least twice a week.

What was your last meeting like?
Three months ago, he was in London to attend an awards ceremony. We went to the local mosque in Southall. The Imam met him and we were very happy. All those are memories now...

Renowned Pakistani qawwali singer Amjad Sabri, who was shot dead by the Taliban in Karachi on Wednesday, frequently visited India. His previous performance was in Delhi at the Pakistan Embassy last year during the Shaan-e-Pakistan event. His performance was supposed to be the highlight of the event this September as well. Huma Nasr, the organiser of the event from Pakistan says, “I am extremely shocked and saddened with the news of his sudden death.“

“I am completely demotivated, his death is a huge loss to all of us. Last year, his performance was loved by many in Delhi. This year, we planned to present something new - we were planning a medley with Sabri saab and Pakistani sufi singers Sanam Marvi and Asrar, but we can't say anything now. I am very upset,“ added Huma. Sources say that now, Abida Parveen may replace the deceased Sufi singer in the programme.

Amjad was also in the news recently when he reportedly called for legal action to be taken regarding copyright issues for his song Bhar Do Jholi from Bajrangi Bhaijaan. After that case, sources say that he had not taken up any other Bollywood project.