Rahat Fateh Ali Khan in his interview with BBC Asian Network has requested his fans not to compare his versions of songs with the originals sung by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan since his renditions are tailored for films and movies.
"You can't match that" – @RFAKWorld says his version of Mere Rashke Qamar and Nit Khair Manga are not comparable to his uncle's originals. He also speaks to @iharoonrashid about his relationship with @cokestudio. pic.twitter.com/p5WoIvMqYM
— BBC Asian Network (@bbcasiannetwork) November 4, 2019
“The originals have a beautiful trance to them and you can’t match that. I had to adapt these songs to a Bollywood style,” Rahat said in the interview, who is on the tour to the UK, which is sold out.
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan has altered many of NFAK songs for Bollywood including the ‘Nit Khair Manga‘, ‘Rashk-e-Qamar‘, ‘Sanu Ek Pal Chain‘. He even sang the rendition of ‘Afreen Afreen‘ alongside Momina Mustehsan in Coke Studio, which turned out to be a huge success.
Meanwhile, in the same interview, he bashed Coke Studio for its declining quality over the years, asserting the wrong selection of songs the foremost reason for failure.
Read more: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan awarded an honorary degree from Oxford
“The earlier Coke Studio which Rohail Hayat was doing was very good, very good, they went wrong. They went with the wrong song selection. They gave me Janoon’s Sayoonee. That wasn’t the right song for me, it went wrong”.
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan pleaded his listeners not to compare his songs with NFAK in the purview of the backlash he often receives for his renditions not making up to the bar set by NFAK in the original versions of the song.
Legacy of NFAK: "Lagan" w/ Rahat Fateh Ali Khan,new comer Rameez & @shahihasan excellent production http://t.co/N5VmFyhf9K #fb
— Salman Ahmad (@sufisal) July 1, 2013
Often people drew a comparison between him and his uncle NFAK, which according to him is unjustified. While NFAK was an unmatched classical and Sufi singer across the subcontinent, RFAK has defined himself as a distinct and a finest playback singer.
if there is one person who ruins NFAK's qawwalis? it's rahat fateh ali khan
— no context nalka (@mahobili) May 3, 2017
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, NFAK ka passing bhi nahi hai…. He should quit singing immediately.
— Karifornia (@Hellapeeno) June 6, 2015
https://twitter.com/Umeristic/status/1031452064000487426
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, with his powerful vocals, has gained a stronghold in India’s music and film industry over the past years. He has under his belt several record-breaking songs.
Read more: Rahat’s team denies Sadia’s claim of writing ‘Jiya Dhadak Dhadak Jaye’
But his fans could not resist comparing him to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. His admirers have even hailed him as carrying forward the legacy of singing maestro Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.
Rahat Fateh Ali khan is taking the legacy of NFAK to the next level. A level that is beyond imagination.
A level that no one truly wants to imagine. Someone please stop this guy. pic.twitter.com/EIfpsBJX2T— z. (@zntfk) February 16, 2018
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is a living legend 💕
A reflection of NFAK.#HaierJashanEPakistan #TributeToALegend pic.twitter.com/un6XSGNmQH— 2.0 🇵🇸 (@HuzaifaGaba3) September 4, 2015
https://twitter.com/surkhminahil/status/844803590644363264