NEW DELHI: After more than two hours of suspense, an event in which renowned Pakistan ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali was to release the music of Suhaib Ilyasi’s film ‘Ghar Wapsi’ was called off as the hotel refused entry in view of fresh threats from an alleged Hindu extremist group.
The film has been produced and directed by Ilyasi who was present in the hotel porch throughout the morning.
Ali, who has acted for the first time in the film apart from singing a patriotic song, did not turn up, fearing violence.
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There was heavy police bandobast but the number of protresters who came and were chased away several times was less than ten. When this was pointed out, a police personnel on duty said no orders had been issued to take action.
Even eminent politician Amar Singh was not permitted to enter the hotel Royal Plaza on Ashoka Road and was constrained to giving a byte to the media standing on the road. He left immediately after.
Singh said that this country had always played host to Pakistani singers and many of the most popular names in the world of music in India were Muslims, and even hummed lines from songs of late singer Mohammed Rafi. He regretted that the event was not being allowed to take place.
Ilyasi told radioandmusic.com that this was an insult not just to prime minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to cement ties with Pakistan, but to a renowned vocalist who was known more for his classical singing than as a Pakistani.
He also threatened to sue the hotel for the insult, particularly since they knew about the police bandobast and the fact that Ali was to perform.
A hotel staffer who did not want to be named said it the hotel had only learnt at 2.30 pm that Ghulam Ali was coming. He said the booking was in the name of Suhaib Ilyasi but the hotel was unaware of the programme. He acknowledged that it was the job of the hotel staff to check Google to check the antecedents of any person making a booking, but refused to comment on whether verification was necessary before agreeing to a booking.
Ilyasi had filed a complaint with the Delhi police on Sunday after alleged telephonic threats from a person from one Vishnu Gupta who described himself as the National President of Hindu Sena. A recording of the telephone conversation was given to the police.
Ilyasi had then told radioandmusic.com that the programme would be held as he had been assured full protection to the ghazal maestro both by the Delhi Police and earlier by Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.
Earlier, Ali had not been allowed to perform in Mumbai and the concert in the western metropolis was called off due to the Shiv Sena’s threats which caused Suhaib Ilyasi to shift the location from Mumbai to Delhi.
The 75-year-old singer, who made an entry into Indian cinema with his popular song ‘Chupke chupke raat din’ for B R Chopra’s ‘Nikaah’, had expressed his anguish and disappointment over the issue. But he has always maintained that music has no boundaries, and his love for Indian music lovers remains the same even after the controversy.
‘Ghar Wapsi’ is about a family that is faced with various issues and the dilemma of a cultural identity. It is about a family that is unable to cope with the cultural dichotomy during their homecoming.
The film is set for release this summer and stars Farida Jalal, Zarina Wahab, Alok Nath, Reema Lagoo, Deepak Tijori, Srishti Goutam and Harsh Nagar.
