With last year's "Genda phool" and his latest track "Paani paani", rapper Badshah has started infusing Indian music and instruments in his compositions. He says it is a conscious choice as he truly believes in the magic of India and its culture -- especially the music and instruments that often end up lost in the new digital age.

Badshah's latest track "Paani paani" has been shot in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. The Rajasthani musical instrument ravanhatta and the Kalbeliya folk dance have been fused in the rap number. Previously, he incorporated the two-string instrument dotara in the song "Genda Phool", which also showcased the richness of Bengali culture.

Asked if it is a conscious choice of spotlighting different cultures, music and instruments in his music, Badshah, whose real name is Aditya Prateek Singh Sisodia, could not agree more.

He told IANS: "Yes. I truly believe in the power and magic of India, its culture, especially its music and instruments that so frequently end up being lost in this new digital age. It is our responsibility as representatives to keep this magic alive and represent this richness to the world and bring India on the world map."

"Genda phool" released last year and currently has 824,903,822 views on Youtube, while "Paani paani" dropped 13 days ago on Jun 9 and has 109,678,689 views on the video streaming website.

"It's a pressure I maintain upon myself, to deliver something bigger and better than my previous body of work. I just want to continue delivering the best packages for my fans and my audience, to keep revealing little pieces of me every time," he said.

His latest number features actress Jacqueline Fernandez once again after "Genda phool". The rapper tagged it as an organic choice.

"Obviously, we knew there needs to be a comeback for the 'Genda phool' magic. But I made 'Paani paani' and I played it to Jacqueline and she loved it," Badshah said

He added: "It's an absolute pleasure and learning to work with Jacqueline, she is one of the most professional people I have ever met in the Industry, and then there was no second thoughts after she suggested."

(Durga Chakravarty can be contacted at durga.c@ians.in)