Pakistani singer Arif Lohar is bridging rifts through folk music

Arif Lohar, who sang the title track for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, the Bollywood biopic of the Indian athlete Milkha Singh, seems to spend more time in India these days than in his native Pakistan.

A new fixture on the Bollywood scene, with his unique sound, Lohar has taken the folk music tradition made popular by his celebrated father, Alam Lohar, and popularised it among a new generation in both nations.

Perhaps best known for the 2010 chart-topping single Jugni, which he sang with the Pakistani singer Meesha Shafi for Coke Studio, Lohar continues to charm music lovers.

“You cannot say that a certain style [of singing] belongs to a particular era,” says the 50-year-old during a visit to India. “Over the centuries, the folk tradition has continued. I am blessed that I am instrumental in continuing this great tradition.”

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Pakistani singer Arif Lohar is bridging rifts through folk music