Pakistani artist Atif Aslam shared his opinion regarding the creative differences between the Coke Studio Pakistan and Coke Studio India projects. In his view, the Pakistani version possesses a certain 'magical' element that he feels is absent in the Indian version.
In interviews with India Today and Mirchi UAE, Atif Aslam noted that the compositions in both countries are good, but the Indian version lacks deep musical roots and the 'rawness' that is a distinguishing feature of Pakistani music. He emphasized that Coke Studio Pakistan values musical originality and the artist's own style more, and the small team allows the singer to add his individuality.
During the same interview, he was asked about a song he sang but later regretted performing, suggesting it should have been sung by another vocalist. Atif Aslam immediately named the romantic composition 'Tere Liye' from the 2010 film 'Prince,' which he recorded with Shreya Ghoshal, starring Vivek Oberoi. He openly stated that he believes another singer should have performed this song.
The composer of 'Tere Liye,' Sachin Gupta, reacted to Atif Aslam's statement, reminding him that this very song helped Atif gain significant fame in India. Sachin asked, 'Were you forced to sing this song in the studio?' He added that if Atif is specifically referring to 'Tere Liye,' people should know how excited Atif was about this song at the time, saying, 'Let's do it, Sachin.'
It is worth noting that Atif Aslam had a fan base in India. However, following the Uri attack in 2016 and the Pulwama attack in 2019, a ban on Pakistani artists working in India was imposed due to heightened political tensions.