A couple of years ago, when Shafqat Amanat Ali recorded for composer Saleem Merchant, the latter lovingly nicknamed him 'Rockstar Ustad'. And there's a story behind it.


Shafqat Amanat Ali 

"Nagesh (Kukunoor, the director of Dor), had informed him that I would record for the song, Yeh Hausala," Amanat Ali recalls, speaking to us over the telephone from Delhi, where he was recently recording. "Salim was expecting a guy in a kurta-pyjama to walk in, but I walked in wearing my trademark T-shirt and jeans. Later, he sent me a note saying that my work and my looks commanded the moniker, Rockstar Ustad," he adds.