Rahat Fateh Ali Khan serenades audience at National Stadium

By Rehana Ashley Ahamad
The show, as most Guyanese organized events, started almost two hours late, but as the actions kicked in, even those standing behind the bars at the back didn’t mind the wait.

Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, the undisputed king of Sufi music, was welcomed on stage by a standing ovation, as his band did the instrumental version of Jiya Dhadak Dhadak from the movie, Kalyug.
Armed with his harmonium, the Pakistani vocalist created goose bumps for his audience as he opened with his popular piece ‘Allah hoo Allah hoo’ from his hit album, Janasheen.

As promised, the compilation of songs was mostly from popular Bollywood films well known to Guyanese.
During his four hour-long performances that had two brief breaks, Ali Khan dished out some of the most loved filmi songs.

These included ‘Aaj din chadeya’ from the movie Love Aaj Kal; ‘Tum jo aye’ from the film Once Upon A Time in Mumbai; ‘Ore Piya’ from Madhuri Dixit’s come back hit, Aaja Nachle; Sajda from My Name Is Khan; Teri Meri from Bodyguard, and Teri Ore from Singh Is King; ‘O Rabba Main toh Mar Gaya oye’ from the 2011 film, Mausam. These pieces were all complemented by Rahatji’s breathtaking classical renditions.

It’s one thing to watch the songs on television and to listen to them on radio and mp3 players, but it was definitely unforgettable to see Rahat Fateh Ali Khan live, giving that unique kick to every note.
It was undoubtedly a magnificent performance by Khan, with the highlights being Dagabaaz Re from the movie Dabaang 2, and the closing song, Tere Mast Do Nain from Dabaang one.. Prior to Khan’s appearance, the opening act did a fantastic job in preparing fans for a night of musical magic.

Purnash Durgaprasad sang a few golden numbers which catered to the more mature folks.The Canje, Berbice lad’s performance was as natural as any International artiste.
This might’ve been from the acquired experiences as being one of the top 10 finalists in the SaReGaMaPa international competition, as well as being the opening act for music sensations Sonu Nigam and Kailash Kher.

The other acts included Guyana Telephone and Telegraph (GT&T)’s Jingle and Song contestant– Neil Maraj and the Eshari Dance troupe, who could’ve put in at least a little work in changing up their usual dance routine.