August 17: The ``inspiration'' has gone. Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's sudden death in London on Saturday has left Bollywood's music industry shocked and rather distraught.The maestro whose brilliant compositions were plagiarised without so much as a by your leave had provided much grist for numerous Hindi film charbusters - from Mera Piya Ghar Aaya, to Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast to Kinna Sona.."He was a very talented composer, and a very good human being. It was a great feeling to work with him. His death is a terrible loss for the film industry," said Anu Malik. Khan was composing the music for Feroz Nadiadwala's Kartoos along with Malik and Bally Sagoo, and had already recorded two songs for the film. He had also signed up for Tips Films' Kachche Dhage. In the last two years, Khan, who despite an indifferent health and threats of boycott from the Shiv Sena, had taken on several projects in India. His most recently completed works were the music of Aur Pyar Ho Gaya and Vande Mataram with A R Rahman.Bal Thackeray, whose recurring threats of boycott were instrumental in keeping Khan away from Mumbai the last few months, described the singer as ``a great artist.'' Thackeray recalled that he had recently released the audio album of Aur Pyar Ho Gaya, composed by Khan. On his earlier stance against the Pakistani singer, the Sena chief said that he was not against Khan's entry into Bollywood, but was piqued at certain remarks made by the artist back in Pakistan. ``However, Khan later clarified that the reported remarks were not made by him," he said.Lata Mageshkar described Khan as an excellent quawwal singer, and a man who possessed immense knowledge about classical music. "I did not not know him much. But, only recently, he had come down to my house for lunch and we talked a lot about music. I feel bad that I could not not sing for him in Aur Pyar Ho Gaya in the wake of the ban on Pakistani artists in Hindi films. "He was a dear family friend," said Feroze Nadiadwala, describing the late singer as an extremely humble, polite and talented artist.Shravan of the Nadeem-Shravan fame talked about one of Khan's last assignment in Mumbai - a song that he recorded for them. "The film was Dharmesh Darshan's Dhadkan. He spent one whole night in the studio to finish the recording." He added: ``More than stamina he had problems with his weight. And sometimes when he had a drink or two, he found it very difficult to even get up from his chair."yy
