Euphoria’s frontman, Palash Sen, has irked some after he sang praises for Pakistani superstar Atif Aslam. The Indian popstar took to social media and lauded his Pakistani counterpart, saying the Aadat singer has ‘made the maximum impact on Bollywood’s music and most singers over the last 15 years.’
Sharing a picture of himself with the celebrated Pakistani star from over 10 years ago, the Maeri singer penned, “According to me, the one singer-musician who has made the maximum impact on Bollywood’s music and most singers over the last 15 years, is this man. The awesome Atif Aslam. I say this with a lot of humility.”
Sen went on to add, “He has style, panache and that nasal twang that most singers in Bollywood tried to imitate. And his music is still copied by some leading music directors… the Minor chord kings!” The crooner concluded the note with, “This pic is 10 years old when both of us collaborated for our concert in Abu Dhabi. And both Indians and Pakistanis sang along and danced together. Music unites!”
Soon after Sen’s heartfelt note, many took to social media, calling out the Indian singer for praising Aslam. Now, Sen is addressing the hate. In an interview with Hindustan Times, the Euphoria frontman clarified, “Usually, I don’t get trolled because I’ve always been below the radar. I am a small player in the larger scheme of things, especially because I don’t belong to Bollywood. I am a self-funded independent artiste, not backed by anyone, but the people of India. I don’t think people really understood the essence of my post, because it had layers. I was hinting at many more things than endorsing Atif.”
He added, “My question was very basic: Do we really lack talent that there was so much influence from one musician on Bollywood? I think Atif did make a big impact, hence Bollywood forgot our own talent and everyone started following his way of singing/ making music.”
Sen also said that Indians should also be given opportunities in other countries. “We, as Indians, give so many opportunities to everybody, but I don’t think we get the same reciprocation from other countries. I don’t mind getting trolled if the people eventually do understand my purpose and start asking the bigger questions,” he said.