Samrat's music videos, showcasing his student and actress Hassan, have won awards two years consecutively at the world musical festival in Houston. Without much more ado, here's asking: Go on, tell all. Khannu Samrat: The album's eclectic. There is a little bit of Sufiana andaaz, there is a Punjabi song, a classical tune, the Banarasi and even modern Kathak couplets. Mehr has sung some wonderful songs. Mehr Hassan: I've done several stage shows for which Khannuji composed many classical and semi-classical numbers. These were appreciated so enthusiastically that we felt confident enough to cut an album. What's your opinion about the influx of Pakistani performers finding a place in India? Mehr Hassan: The world's a global village, isn't it? Khannu Samrat: Music knows no borders, there's a mutual regard between us. I have grown up listening to Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar.

And our singers have also become legends here.. like Noor Jahan and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan to Atif Aslam and bands like Strings. Besides both Mehr and I have roots in India. Which are? Khannu Samrat: We still speak Rajasthani at home. My grandfa ther, Ashiq Hussain, is from Rajasthan. He was a student of Pandit Gopalji of the Banaras Gharana in Kathak.

He also worked as an action hero in Bombay films in the late 1930s.. and was even awarded the title of Kathak Samrat in the '40s. Mehr Hassan: My mother's family is from India, the extended family lives in Mumbai too.

What about the reports that the Pakistani music industry is on the decline? Mehr Hassan: Let me put it this way The Pakistani music market . is still very local. India obviously gives us a wider exposure. What do you have to say of the current situation in Pakistan? Don't you fear that the Emergency will affect the sales of your album? Khannu Samrat: I am living in a surreal world. In the past, our work has been appreciated and encouraged. I believe music has a life that breathes free from politics. Mehr Hassan: I have lived in the U S and in India. So, I am a staunch supporter of the democratic voice.