Pakistani singer Gohar Mumtaz has revealed that Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt once sought to use Jal Band's hit song 'Aadat' in one of his films, but the track ended up in a Bhatt production instead.

 

Gohar made the revelation during an appearance on a Podcast, on a private TV channel, where he spoke about his career and recalled the early days of Jal. 

 

The host asked him about the moment when, as a 19-year-old, he received a phone call from Sanjay Dutt's team.  

 

Gohar said the band was on a visit to India to launch a new album in Juhu, Mumbai, when their manager asked them to come meet him. "When we arrived, the manager told us that Sanjay Dutt had called and wanted to use our song 'Aadat' in his film," he said. "We were all stunned because we could not believe it."

 

The song, however, did not make it into Dutt's project. "That song went to Bhatt sahab's film instead," Gohar said.

 

He added that during a concert trip to Mumbai, the band invited Dutt and later visited him at his home, where they asked him how he had first heard 'Aadat'. 

 

"He told us that a woman he knew in Pakistan had brought him a CD and told him, 'These are two new boys, Gohar and Atif Aslam, listen to their new song,'" Gohar recalled. 

 

Dutt also told them he played Jal Band's music in his car, and mentioned that Salman Khan, Jackie Shroff, and Anil Kapoor were among those who listened to 'Aadat' as well.

 

Gohar also reflected on how recognition worked differently for Pakistani artists at the time. 

 

"In Pakistan, we were not acknowledged in the same way until we made it in Bollywood, even though our songs were already doing very well and were hits here," he said. 

 

He added that Pakistanis should take pride in the fact that their artists never depended on outside validation. He also directed a message at new musicians, saying, "That time has now come where you put a song on YouTube and it becomes a hit in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh."

 

Gohar founded Jal in Lahore in 2002, with 'Aadat' becoming one of Pakistan's most downloaded tracks after its release in 2003.

 

 The band went on to release albums including 'Boondh' in 2007 and 'Pyaas' in 2013, the latter of which received nominations at both the Hum Awards and Lux Style Awards.