Amaal Malik opens up in Dine With The Stars podcast: ‘I could have quit, worked at McDonalds, but music chose me'

Dubai: He calls himself Majnu Malik, the tortured romantic, the musician who wears his heart on his sleeve. But even for someone so open with his music, Bollywood singer Amaal Mallik says that tweeting about his family struggles last year was a big leap of outlandish faith.

“At that vulnerable moment, I was missing my brother Armaan,” he says digging into some lush Greek food at Paros, Taj JLT, Dubai.

“What we both shared at that time became a career thing. It never started separating. We only met for work, only travelling on shows together, no time to spend as real human beings ... At a point when I wrote that post, I was going through a depressive phase, and I wanted to talk about it.”

For Malik, airing his private life wasn’t about drama or attention. In the latest episode of Dine With The Stars With Manjusha Radhakrishnan, Amaal Malik told Gulf News it was about accountability, healing, and connection. “What if I didn’t do that, took all the weight of that, and something would have happened to me? Not that I’m saying I’m not strong—I’m very strong. But what’s the point of keeping it all inside, making yourself unhealthy, which I was?”

We spent a couple of hours over lunch and it was clear that Amaal exuded an honesty that was rare in an industry dominated by polished PR speak. He even lets us in on a secret - he owns an apartment in the same hotel residence.

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“I keep saying that Dubai is like the same distance from my house to Bandra in Mumbai,” he laughs, eyes sparkling. “I’d rather come here. Of course, I love it. It’s awesome.”

He opens up about family visits, the joy of setting up his Dubai home with his parents and brother, and why the city feels like a second home. It was here, he recalls, that he and Arman first stepped into the spotlight as musician and singer, making their debut to the world through a Salman Khan film.

“I was 22 or 23, and he [Armaan] was 18. That’s where it all began. And we were so excited. Just seeing our names on a welcome sign in the hotel room meant so much to us.”

But despite the growing fanfare, Malik has never lost sight of what truly matters: his music, his family, and his fans.

But what made him enter the notorious reality show world Bigg Boss? He claims he did it for his legion of beloved fans who admired him through thick and thin..

“Post the show, a lot of people connected to me. They could see the face behind the music I’ve done over the last decade. It was beautiful.”

He is unapologetically candid about the pressures of social media and the internet trolls too. On Instagram alone, he has over 6.2 million followers. Despite his popularity, he's keenly aware of its pitfalls.

“Instagram, Twitter—you’ll say one thing and it will be interpreted in a thousand ways. But I give it back. I destroy them by responding to them. Makes me happy.”

But his fiercest protection is reserved for his younger fans.

“When people start threatening my female fans, my mother, or cornering anyone, that’s when I step in. I have fans who are 12, 13, and also 70, 80. That’s rare. I have to protect them.”

Malik also opens up about his family dynamics and the guidance, discipline and even the playful squabbles that shape him.

“We fight every day, make up by night. My mom and dad, they keep us grounded, but they also fight like teenagers. My parents are work in progress, like all of us. But they’ve been magical friends.”

He credits much of his resilience to early responsibilities.

“Since the age of five or six, I started seeing my father’s struggles and my mom’s sacrifices. I took on the role of the third parent. At 15, I was making sure three meals were on the table, paying off loans, everything. Today, that responsibility taught me to stand tall.”

And through it all, his love for music has never wavered.

“I’m not competing with any of my contemporaries. My mentors are AR Rahman sir, Pritam, Vishal-Shekhar, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. Seniors who’ve done terrific work. I feel I’m here to stand there. I don’t want to make anyone feel insecure. I want to build, create, and bring life to my music.”

Malik believes in preserving the human element in music, supporting live musicians and orchestras whenever possible.

“Whenever there’s a chance to play a violin, I will call a trained violinist. He has a livelihood, and the human touch touches the soul differently. My investments have always been towards my craft.”

Even when faced with setbacks and criticism, he persists with remarkable honesty.

“After just two songs in Bollywood, I was judged and trolled. I thought I’ll quit music, leave the country, work in McDonald’s. But somehow, I kept going. I called Bhushan Kumar [music label T-series honcho] and said, ‘If this song doesn’t work, I will believe I’ve been choosing music all these years, but it doesn’t seem like music chooses me.’ He told me, ‘You have to keep trying.’ And that’s what I did.”

Despite fame, awards, and opportunities to expand into acting, Amaal remains grounded.

“Acting is new to me. Music is my life. I will never let it take a backseat. I’m learning as I go, but I want to do it right if it’s a big project. Otherwise, music remains my core.”

And he doesn’t shy away from emotions, mental health, or responsibility. “People want to look macho and not talk about it. But men can cry too. Boys don’t cry is just a myth. I’ve been real, and that’s what helps me sleep peacefully at night.”

He calls himself Majnu, a romantic and a dreamer, but there’s a practicality beneath the theatrics.

“I am very logical. I don’t just go with emotions, but I also respect the process of love and creation. My mind is very organized. I plan a lot, think a lot, and then I act.”