A new Junoon to hit screens

Ahead of his India tour, Sufi rockstar Salman Ahmad announces his Bolly debut
His “Sayonee” created a rage in India, leaving music lovers yearning for more. Now, it seems one can get a piece of Salman Ahmad’s music as much as the man himself. All set to tour the country in April, the Sufi rockstar revealed that he is making his Bollywood debut in Vicky Kumar’s “Rhythm”.
Talking about his India tour, the first show of which will be held in Mumbai on April 28, the musician told us from New York, where he is currently based, “This year will mark Junoon’s 20th anniversary and it coincides with my debut in Bollywood as a composer and actor. We wanted to infuse Indians with a fresh dose of junoon. Our music was first embraced by the city with big Bollywood dreams, so it makes perfect sense to begin the celebrations in Mumbai.”
The artiste is very upbeat about his Bollywood acting debut. “The shooting of “Rhythm” starts in Poland in May. I’ve recorded new songs including a duet with Sunidhi Chauhan titled “Yaaro”. In the film, I appear as a rockstar, who inspires a college girl to follow her junoon.” Salman had earlier been part of television plays and even presented documentaries on current affairs, but a Bollywood film for him, “is the most positive thing to have happened”. His wish list in Bollywood includes working with Amitabh Bachchan, Naseeruddin Shah, Aamir Khan and current hottie Ranbir Kapoor. And what about the leading ladies? “I would be honoured to work with Priyanka Chopra and Kajol,” Salman said.
But isn’t visa a bone of contention for artistes from across of the border? “I want to thank the Indian consulate in New York and Islamabad for issuing the visas on time. Art and culture is the most powerful form of dialogue between two nations and Junoon’s music has been like a crazy glue connecting people’s hearts and promoting peace and harmony in south Asia,” the musician explained.
Since its inception the band has made as much noise with its music as with its innumerable lineup changes. Junoon currently consists of founder member Salman Ahmad on guitar and vocals, John Alec on bass, Sunny Jain on drums and Kedernath Havalar on percussion. Isn’t it difficult picking up the broken pieces and moving ahead? “Junoon is more about the music and less about an individual. Junoonis have fallen in love with our songs over the years and we want to come and say shukriya to music lovers across India,” he said.