The usual charges for utilizing Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s musical talent are Rs.1 lakh, but for the Bhatt brothers, Mahesh and Mukesh, he charged not a penny keeping close to his heart their favour when he needed their support. Rahat also considers them to be effective in trying to build cultural relations between the two countries.
The song Chahat which he had sung for Blood Money was done free of any cost. The song was recorded in Dubai because Rahat could not get a visa for India according to sources at Sony music. They said:
“He had made it clear that he did not want any fee for the song strictly due to emotional reasons.”
To confirm the news, Mumbai Mirror contacted Rahat in Pakistan and he declared the case to be so saying:
“Bhatt saab supported me and gave me an opportunity when nobody really knew me in the industry. Later, when I got embroiled in legal hassles, he was the only person to come forward and give me support. At the time, others were simply avoiding me since they did not want to get into trouble. Apart from that, Bhatt saab has also played a major role in trying to rebuild Indo-Pak relations. I hold him in very high regard.”
But it is not only Rahat Fateh Ali Khan who can say good things about the Bhatts. Mahesh Bhatt stated the obvious for himself and said:
“During Paap, my daughter Pooja’s husband identified Rahat’s song Mann Ki Lagan. Pooja included it in her film though well-wishers advised her otherwise. Later, in Kalyug, Rahat sang Jiya Dhadak Dhadak. Both songs went on to become hits. And Rahat became popular. When he was caught in legal trouble, the people from the industry chose to stay away. I, however, believed that though he has broken the law, he couldn’t be termed as a terrorist. I defended him openly. It’s his way of saying ‘Shukriya’.”
