We give below Maan’s interview  he gave to Sanghmitra and printed in The Indian Sub-continent Times’s April 2004 issue. 

Meet Gurdas Maan, the human being. He is a different personality off stage. More humble with no airs of a super star. When everybody thought that after the hectic night of dance and music, Maan would be resting in his plush hotel room, the organizers sprang a surprise early next morning with a call at the IST office to say that the legendary singer has taken some time off out of his busy schedule for the media before leaving for Melbourne. The IST representative Sanghmitra responded to the short notice.

Q)                   How do you find Sydney?

Gurdas Maan: I have been to Sydney before, this is the third time I am coming here but it feels good to be back.

Q)How was the show last night?

GM The show was excellent. It got better and better with every song. There is a saying that after every action — there is equal reaction and this is exactly what happened last night. Sydneyites’ response to my songs was fabulous and so was my response to them and that encouraged me to perform better and better with every song. The crowd enjoyed listening and I also enjoyed singing..

Q) When you got the offer to perform in Australia again, what was your reaction? What were your expectations from the people living here?

GM It was overwhelming! I think people living outside of India are more successful in keeping our culture alive. Living in a small community in a foreign land keeps you more and more in contact with each other and more close to each other.

Q) What are your views on India and Pakistan? Would you like to perform in Pakistan if given a chance?

GM People living in Pakistan and people living in India are not different at all. We all are same people, we eat the same kind of food, and our lifestyle is the same. I would love to perform in Pakistan; I am waiting for that chance.

 Q) It is said that behind every successful man there is a woman? Who is behind your success?

GM                  There are heaps of women behind my success! (Laughs) No, I am serious, there are so many women behind my success — my daadi who loves me a lot, my mother, my wife and all my fans that include women too.

Q) Maan Saheb, you are an excellent singer, who did you learn singing from?

GM Thank you very much. God gave me this voice but also along with it gave me responsibility to serve people. I used to listen to other singers and that is how I used to sing songs as a hobby with my friends. “Main to yoon hi shauk shauk mein dafli bajata tha, phir logon ne dafli mere gale mein baandh di aur paaon mein ghunguroo daal diye!” (Laughs)

Every artist in the world needs blessings from a guru and after singing for a while I was blessed by Pandit Atma Prakashji and later on I learnt sarangi from Sultan Khan Saheb. 

Q) How do you bring such deep truths of life in your songs?

GM Experiences! Life is full of experiences. Everyday we experience something or the other and when I put these experiences in a song they become Folk Songs or Lok Geet and when I sing them, the audience react by saying that this is my song…this is what I have been through.

When I go back to India from here I will take experiences from here. Whatever happened last night at the show is an experience and soon they would be converted into a song.

Q) These days ‘Punjabi’ songs are very popular in Hindi Films. What do you think is the reason behind this and what influence does it have?

GM  It has a very negative influence I would say. These days anything to do

Punjabis is a joke. The moment a person says Punjabi, the first thing that comes in mind is “Balle Balle”.

We have made films in Punjabi, one was “Zindagi Khoobsurat” and the other was “Shidat-e-mohabbat” and Manoj Punj was the director for both.

So now two other movies “Des hua Pardes” and “Political Asylum” are under production with the same director and for which we contacted Juhi Chawla. We told her that one movie is going to be in Punjabi and the other in Hindi, Juhi replied that the project is good but it shouldn’t become a mockery. So this is the negative influence of Punjabi songs in Hindi films that instead of promoting Punjabi culture it is making fun of it.

Q)                    Any message for the people of Sydney?

GM I would like to thank all those people who came last night for my show, the kids who danced to all my numbers, people who sat there and listened to each and every word of my songs and enjoyed the beat, the families who specially came with their children so that they could learn more about our culture, all the people who were dancing — they obeyed me when I told them to have control on themselves, this shows their respect towards me, and all my fans. Above all my producers, who gave me another chance to perform in Sydney. Thank you to all! God bless you.

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