So Bollywood offers can wait, says
noted Pakistani singer Abida Parveen. "I keep on getting offers. Yash
Chopra, Subhash Ghai and many others have offered to me to sing in their films.
But I have immersed myself in Sufi music and to spread that message across is
what I am busy doing," Abida, 56, told IANS in a telephonic interview from
Lahore. "It's a time-consuming thing to spread the message of Sufism and
that is why I have not got enough time to say yes to any of the film offers
till now," she added. Sufi music has been increasingly making inroads into
the film industry with many movie soundtracks having at least one song with
Sufi influences. Commenting on the trend, Abida said: "The taste and touch
of Sufi music started coming in Bollywood through my song 'Thaiyyan thaiyyan',
which was converted into 'Chaiyyan chaiyyan' ('Dil Se')." "Then it
started spreading and many films started having songs with a Sufi touch. Today
it has become really popular in Bollywood, which is a good thing. These songs
keep love and humanity intact. That's why these songs connect with people and
touch souls," she added.