Popular singer and composer Adnan Sami, who was once a Pakistani national and is now an Indian citizen, is featuring on the latest episode of Aap Ki Adalat on India TV, responding to Rajat Sharma's questions.
The singer-composer will speak candidly about his musical journey, dominating the indie pop charts and getting love from while receiving hate from Pakistan and the ISI and how he took Indian citizenship.
The episode is airing LIVE on India TV, where he will respond to questions from India TV’s Chairman and Editor-in-Chief Rajat Sharma, revealing several secrets about Pakistan and speaking openly about how he was mistreated there.
Adnan Sami on why he took up Indian citizenship
During the conversation, Adan Sami spoke at length on the mistreatment popular artists such as Mehdi Hasan and Reshma got by their government despite immense love from people and that he too was on the receiving end of it. After making music in India and gaining popularity, Sami said his passport renewal was refused by the Pakistani government while he was abroad and that he was also warned by an official to not go back as there lies a great threat to him in Pakistan.
The singer-composer shared several related events that led to him finding refuge in India and applying to get an Indian citizenship. He said the Indian government was supportive of his grievances and he has since received immense love from the people of India.
An artist longs for an audience
When Sami was asked about the claim that he took Indian citizenship to earn more money, he responded, "I come from a very privileged family. By the grace of God, I was born into a family that had everything. I have never been greedy for money. I left behind property worth crores in Pakistan. After coming to India, I had to start everything from scratch. An artist longs for an audience.
An artist's nourishment is his audience. I received a lot of love in Pakistan, too, but everyone desires growth." Sami said that artists experience a significant rise in popularity in India.
Adnan Sami gets emotional
During the show, Adnan Sami became emotional while answering a question about his mother’s funeral. He shared that he wanted to attend her last rites in Pakistan but was denied a visa by the Pakistani authorities. He also made several startling revelations about the country's inner workings. As the son of a Pakistani Air Force officer, he also spoke about why he chose to become an Indian citizen.
Indian citizenship in 2016
Adnan Sami was born on 15 August 1971 in London. He studied Journalism and Political Science at the University of London and pursued an LLB from King’s College. He began learning music at the age of five and later trained under renowned santoor maestro Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma. His music videos Kabhi Toh Nazar Milao and Thodi Si To Lift Kara De, released in 2000, became massive hits and brought him global fame. He was granted Indian citizenship in 2016.
About Aap Ki Adalat
Over 200 prominent personalities have appeared on Aap Ki Adalat to date.
On digital platforms, the show’s videos have been viewed over 1.72 billion times, making it a record-breaking success. With more than 1100 episodes aired on television, it is also one of the most-watched news shows on YouTube globally.
