Exclusive: Adnan Sami on the 'mafia' debate: Bollywood kisi ke baap ki jaagir nahi hai

Adnan Sami, a man who rarely gets angry, says enough is enough and things need to change
No, Adnan Sami isn't going to be uploading a video anytime soon. But the singer, presently in Germany, has made it clear which side of the 'music mafia' debate he stands on. His communications on the issue, while very refined in terms of language and not taking names, reflect the fact that the issue matters to him, not just as an industry observer, but on a more intimate, personal level.
Why did he join the issue, even if via a deftly worded Instagram post that spoke of creativity being controlled and people playing God?
"People need to come forward. If you are talented, bloody hell, you should get your opportunity! And if you are being denied that, then things need to change."

The two words in circulation presently are 'mafia' and 'outsider'. Isn't Adnan himself the ultimate outsider in Mumbai – starting with his passport?
"Exactly! I was the biggest outsider you could ever think of! I had layers and layers of being the outsider. But I forced myself in."
And doesn't that suggest that getting into the industry for outsiders isn't that much of an issue as it is made out to be? No, he says, things have changed over time.
"See, you have to understand something. Keep my case aside for the moment. People take names of a few superstars and say, see, they were outsiders, they could flourish, right? Ergo, there's no problem. But that is not a comparison you can make with today. When those names came in two decades back or even earlier, the people running the show, so to say, were far more secure, far more respectful of talent. And part of the reason was that those people – they themselves were outsiders. So nobody should try to use the success of outsiders who came in then to argue that today there is no – (he pauses at the word) – mafia happening now. Those people came in at a time when none of this was happening. The kids (of the establishment from that time) have taken over now. It's very different... People who are talented need to be brought forward, or at least allowed to come forward without being bullied. Bollywoodkisi ke baap ki jaagir nahi hai."
How does he plan to make the point? Does anything change merely by online outrage?
"I assure you, I will take serious steps, actual steps. I want new talent to come forward because I genuinely believe that it is very important for our ecosystem."
But wouldn't anyone of consequence want the same? Why would anyone want to obstruct widening the talent pool in an industry such as cinema?
"My father would say that jhooth bahut dohraya jaata hai toh insaan ko khud uss par bharosa ho jaata hai. Sometimes people in powerful roles are given so much feedback about how wise they are and how everything revolves around them that they begin to believe it. This needs to stop. Sometimes we need to stop believing this lie and ask them – who the hell are you?"

Are these opinions he holds personal, or do they reflect a wider view?
"There are so many people facing these issues. New guys are facing so much, but they are scared – they are dying to speak out, many have spoken to me, but woh darey hue hain, they ask that 'agar hamara naam aa gaya toh hamara kya hoga?'. That fear is everywhere. Yeh unke haq ki baat hai and I understand what they are facing. It has been a very, very difficult journey for me – and therefore, I will support everybody who is deserving. And if somebody is trying to stop them because of certain privileges – I will resist it, that doesn't work for me."

The 'hamara kya hoga?' sentiment would reflect that yes, if you antagonise the powerful, your career in Bollywood is actually on the line?
"Yes. What is being talked about – call it the mafia or anything else – it is there. And I feel now we can't just issue statements about it. Then we are just paper tigers, we are no help for those still struggling. Whatever is happening, needs to STOP. The powers that be can be part of the change or they can resist it – but change is needed."
Any throwback thoughts to his early years?
"Today, as I see all the debate, for the first time, I am proud that I am an outsider. I am genuinely proud. Because me, being such an outsider – not even being a citizen of India for most of my struggling years – and still having survived, it gives hope to millions of others who will take strength from my journey, because if I can make it in this industry, then anybody can!"
While we all tracked his songs, his marriages, his weight and his citizenship process over the years, surely there was more to it. He hasn't spoken much about his own, inside battles of those years.
He pauses, drifts into a quiet, philosophical silence for a while.
"People ask me, 'you're such a happy-go-lucky person, aapki aawaz mein dard kahan se aata hai?' It comes from there, perhaps... it was not easy. Nobody can understand that. People have no idea what I have been through. I don't like to let the world know about my struggle, but that doesn't mean it didn't exist... We artistes, you know, we put on facades. But the struggles really, really wear you down. People need to understand that. And that is why, for those who struggle today – I will fight."