Egyptian Pop Star Takes Inspiration from India

Egyptian pop star Hisham Abbas relied on a love of Indian films going back to his childhood for his latest Hindi-inspired hit song, the video for which was shot at the Taj Mahal. 

"I loved Indian movies as a child. I was infatuated with the music and dancing," the 37-year-old graduate of the American University of Cairo told a press conference ahead of a beach concert in Dubai on Wednesday. 

Abbas, fresh from an eight-city tour of the United States, has attracted a growing audience of expatriate Indians in the Gulf after his latest hit, Nari Narein, included Hindi phrases and melody. 

The video was "recorded and videoclipped in India in the form of an Indian show that was shot near the Taj Mahal," said Abbas, sporting a bandana, long sideburns and trimmed goatee. 

He added that he will have completed a movie by the end of this year that "will be a musical, with dancing and singing, a love story, with old and new actors." -- AFP