Popular demand and double pay make Delhi bands switch to ‘Bollywood Sufi’

Delhi’s popular ‘Sufi nights’ are all about Bollywood music, say musicians, as the audience wants to sing along and it also pays a lot more than any other genre.
A year ago, if you would have walked down the pub-lined Hauz Khas Village road, you could hear a mix of different music genres. But today, you’ll probably just hear Sufi music from the various pubs and restros, with ‘Sufi nights’ boards inviting in guests.A large number of venues in Delhi are dedicating at least one night a week to Sufi music and with live performances by bands.
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However, many city-based musicians claim that though these Sufi nights are successful crowd-pullers, in most places, they just end up playing Bollywood music as that’s what the audience wants. They add that since those performing this genre are getting paid much more than those who play rock, indie or jazz, several musicians are turning to Sufi for money.
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Delhi wants Bollywood sufi
Delhi-based musician Abhay Sharma, who plays the saxophone for Indian bands like Soul’d Out, Think Floyd and The Revisit Project, and has also performed with Sonu Nigam and Adnan Sami, says, “Sufi is popular in the city because people here want to have a conversation while something mellow plays in the background, and Sufi music is ideal for that. But the definition of Sufi has changed. People have forgotten what Sufi is really about, it’s more Bollywood now. Sufi characteristically has lyrics that speak about a spiritual connection with God and about love, which is what Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s, Sabriji’s and Ayaan and Aman Ali Khan’s music is about.” Vipin Sharma, a bassist and vocalist who has collaborated with many bands such as Monalisa And The Band, Riyaaz The Band and Cocktail, says, “Delhi pubs mein Sufi ke naam pe Bollywood bajaatein hain. Sufi bands are in demand at weddings and other functions as well.”
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