EXCLUSIVE: Raftaar on Mantoiyat controversy: No one in our country does something to this level for artists

Main bhi chal diya, Meri soch pe hai raj mera, Kaan band aankhe band, inke muh pe taale,Inpe zor na ki satya pe prakash daale, Bole sach jo uske chehre pe tezaab daale, Ghoome phir khule mein, Aur jale jo woh nakaab daale..That's one of the excerpts of Raftaar's new rap, Mantoiyat, from Nawazuddin Siddiqui's Manto and it's hard-hitting and all the lines make sense. The song went viral as it hit the web and we got in touch with Raftaar to know his reaction on the same. It was a telephonic conversation and he seemed elated to share his experiences with us. 

Raftaar wasn't expecting the song to go this big but he was sure that Mantoiyat will make an impact somewhere. He told us, "I was expecting it to make some wave because of the content it had, considering the explicitness of it and the words that people would get drawn to. People turning around and pushing it that much wasn't expected. There are lot of praises coming in for me the song. I expected it to work but not on this level."

Delving deep into conversation, we asked if he had known the history of Saadat Hasan Manto before writing the song. On this, Raftaar told us, "Sometimes you know about the person and sometimes you don't have an idea to what level they have made an impact in the society. I am that kind of a person who didn't know much about Manto. I have heard the name in my literature classes in the school but this deep I wasn't aware of. When the makers approached me for the song, they told me to watch the trailer of Manto. I saw the trailer before it released and watched the short movie as well. After watching the short film, I understood this is a man who is reaching out to the masses for the truth like it is - it didn't have an filter. If I am able to gap between what he said and did as still nothing is changed - we are still living in denial, I would feel that I have done something."

It was a dream come true for the singer to meet Nawazuddin Siddiqui. In his words - "I was like a small kid on the sets. Whatever emotions are inside me, I make sure that people concerned know about it. I remember Nawaz walking up to me and saying that 'aapne itni chotti si umar mein itna sab kuch karliya hai (you have achieved a lot in a young age)'. He told me that 'I really love your job and kids love your songs'. I was taken aback by it. He is very humble and is a role-model."

Everything was going well for Raftaar, but then there was a controversy. The singer was targeted for copying the song from a Korean artist. Addressing the controversy, he told us, "It's sad and it's also a rap song. When we are making our independent music, we know our directors and what's happening around as we are paying for it. When it's a movie song, it's not you who is doing everything it's the creative heads and production house. I didn't see the video because it's Korean and I am not disrespecting the artist. Then, people started bombarding the page and said the lyrics are the same. That's when I felt a little... It's gonna be mother of coincidences if that happens. When I checked the song, the lyrics meant differently. What I liked was that fans wanted the credits for their singer and no one in our country does something to this level for their artists. It's amazing to see that. The set is similar and this is something I can't do anything about." 

Then, we panned the conversation to know his thoughts about the music scenario in the country, considering the trend of remixes these days. On this, he told us, "Talking about remixes, some people like to preserve what is original and some people give it a new meaning. Coming to Hip Hop, the biggest of the artists use sampling. You are changing the genre of the song and to be able to give old music in new package is also fair and people who have emotions attached to it - they are also not wrong. Bollywood is commercial and they will always go for the new generation as they are the ones to invest and which is not bad either."

Raftaar has surely made it big in the industry and he has philosophical take on his success. Explaining us his point, the singer said, "Success is classified in two ways for me. I am a little philosophical that way (laughs). I like to live life in a way that I understand, it's satisfying. I understand you have to reach a mark where everyone likes you but in reality they don't like you, they like your work. Then, there is a different mark where people like for who you are and that's why they love your music. I don't want to just make music as I want to be legendary. I understand it has to be commercial as I have to feed my family.  I am in between these two marks and they are not many people in this space. I want my work to my valued even if my face is forgotten."

On an ending note, we asked him the three GOLDEN tips for the aspiring singers. "People will tell you that you not good as they have told me too as they didn't understand my music. But, there's sect which will surely appreciate but that won't happen until you put your song out. Just make a video and put it on YouTube. Secondly, if you are a singer and not a writer, promote yourself as a singer. If you are a rapper and you want to promote yourself like that, make sure nobody else is writing your lyrics as rapping is about poetry and rhythm. Thirdly, if you want to venture into Bollywood, make sure start as an independent artist first and then come to Bollywood as you'll have a say in it," Raftaar said and signed off.