As Auckland and Wellington await Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, the organisers are leaving no stone unturned to spread the buzz about the singer’s live performance. Presented by Sizzlin Events, the first instalment of ‘Rahat in Concert’ (‘Rahat Reloaded’) will be held in Wellington on September 27 at St James Theatre and in Auckland on September 28 at ASB Show Grounds Logan Campbell Centre. A crew of 18 musicians will accompany Rahat, who will play different instruments on stage with the singer.
Multicultural flavour
According to the organisers, this Concert will be of great value to the multicultural essence of both cities, attracting not only people of Indian, Pakistani and Sri Lankan origin but also members of other ethnic groups. Like his uncle, the renowned Pakistani qawwali singer Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Rahat’s music commands global appeal with followers across cultures.
“The Indian-Pakistani classical base in my music is enjoyed so much by the Westerners that language stops being a barrier,” Rahat said in a recent interview.
Variety also plays a major role in Rahat’s concerts as one gets to relish a mix of qawwalis, ghazals, Hindi film songs and the great Sufi poet Bulleh Shah’s poetry.
The singer believes that variety in his concert caters to an audience across age groups. Thanks to his chartbuster Hindi film songs, youngsters also love his music.
Peace pact
Rahat is the artiste responsible to build a bridge between India and Pakistan through music. He has always acknowledged receiving as much love from India for his music as much as he does from Pakistan. Since his chance entry into Bollywood through Pooja Bhatt’s film ‘Paap,’ he has been the quintessential voice of melody in Hindi films. Rahat is also the brand ambassador of the peace initiative ‘Aman Ki Asha’, a joint campaign by the two leading media houses in India and Pakistan – The Times of India and The Jang Group.
As a part of this campaign, Rahat collaborated with Shankar Mahadevan on a theme track, written by Gulzar and composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.
Tracking Nusrat
As the successor of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and someone who has vowed to carry on his uncle’s rich musical legacy, Rahat is known to set the tone of his shows by starting with Nusrat’s Sufi qawwali ‘Allah Hoo.’
Tickets for the show in Wellington can be obtained from www.ticketek.co.nz and for Auckland from www.iticket.co.nz
