'Junoon' founder Salman Ahmad: Got death threats for playing the guitar

Junoon founder Salman Ahmad

Indian and Pakistani music aficionados, who have grown up in the '90s, would have inarguably overdosed on Pakistani Sufi rock band Junoon's music. In fact, their classic, Sayonee, continues to be on their playlists today. What started out as a three-member act with founder and lead guitarist Salman Ahmad, keyboardist Nusrat Hussain and vocalist Ali Azmat, followed by bassist Brian O'Connell replacing Hussain in 1993, split in 2005. Today, Junoon, which turns 25 this year, is a solo act. However, Salman ensures Junoon stays strong, labelling the journey "a rollercoaster ride sans seatbelt".

Fighting it out
Retaining authenticity over the years has been tough, says Salman. "Junoon's music and message of love and unity have faced criticism and adulation. Religious extremists threatened to kill me for playing the guitar; they called it 'haram' (an act forbidden by God)," he says. Over the years, Junoon has experimented with its music, jamming with artistes in the classical, pop, rock, hip-hop, folk and Sufi genres. "We are celebrating 25 years of Junoon's music with special guest artistes Peter Gabriel, Outlandish, Shubha Mudgal and Ali Zafar in it," says Salman.

Original line-up of Nusrat Hussain, Ali Azmat and Salman

Sayonee fever
Their biggest hit remains the Sufi-rock anthem, Sayonee. Do the members of Junoon ever plan to come together? The frontman is optimistic. "Never say never," he insists. "When we performed in Delhi this February, an Indian woman brought her teenage daughter who she named Sayonee. The girl told me she is learning to play guitar. That is the power of music across generations and barbed-wire borders."

Making peace
Amid stifled relations between India and Pakistan, Salman says he's excited about his upcoming concert in India after his new album, Junoon 25 comes out in November. Says Salman, "There should be cultural fusion, not nuclear fusion, between Pakistan and India. I was labelled a traitor for saying this in 1998, but now I am called a peace ambassador."