Pakistani singer Mustafa Zahid, who lent his voice to iconic tracks ‘Toh Phir Aao’ and ‘Tera Mera Rishta’ from the original ‘Awarapan’, is missing from the music of its much-awaited sequel, ‘Awarapan 2’. Now, the singer has broken his silence on his absence from the franchise. Here’s what he shared at a recent concert.
Mustafa Zahid on not being part of ‘Awarapan 2’
According to the Hindustan Times report, speaking at a recent concert in Chicago, Mustafa Zahid addressed his exclusion from the sequel’s soundtrack, where the original songs have been recreated by other singers. He didn’t hide his disappointment while speaking to the audience. He said, “This is the first song of my life that I wrote. This is the first song of my life that I composed, and it happens to be the first song that I sang in my life. It is unfortunate that sometimes art has to suffer because of all the politics around the world. So, unfortunately, I am not part of the album, but the amount of love and respect that I have always received from the Indians is absolutely amazing. Thank you so much guys.”The success of the first film’s music proved to be a turning point in Mustafa’s career, opening doors for him to sing in several other Bollywood films, including ‘Blood Money’, ‘Aashiqui 2’ and ‘Ek Villain’.
‘Awarapan’ lyricist Sayeed Quadri on Mustafa Zahid’s absence
Mustafa Zahid’s absence from ‘Awarapan 2’ is widely believed to be linked to the ongoing restrictions on Pakistani artists working in the Indian entertainment industry. Reacting to his exclusion, veteran lyricist Sayeed Quadri told News18, “Bahot saari cheeze hoti hai jo haalat and waqt ko dekh ke karni padhti hai. The most important thing is that nation should always come first. Desh sarvapari hai (There are many things that have to be done depending on the circumstances and the situation. The most important thing is that the nation should always come first. The country is paramount).”
New voices and composers for ‘Awarapan 2’
In the sequel, ‘Tera Mera Rishta’ has been recreated by singers Saaj Bhatt and Subodhh Sharma. Mustafa isn’t the only key contributor missing from the franchise’s music this time around, original composer Pritam is also absent from ‘Awarapan 2’, with Amaal Mallik and Mithoon taking over composing duties instead.Addressing Pritam’s absence, Sayeed said, “Writers usually don’t have a say in this matter. So, I can’t say why Pritam isn’t a part of ‘Awarapan 2’. This call was taken by the production house. But Mithoon and Amaal have recreated the songs with a lot of heart.”
More about ‘Awarapan 2’
Directed by Nitin Kakkar, the film features Emraan Hashmi, Disha Patani, Shabana Azmi, and Suvinder Vicky. The movie arrived in cinemas on August 14, 2026. The film has crossed over Rs 55 crore in India in just two days of its release.
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