At exactly 9pm on Friday night, singer Salim Merchant, one half of the Bollywood music duo Salim-Sulaiman, walked on to the stage at Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi. Dressed in a white shirt, blue trousers and black bow tie, Salim performed his songs Aye Khuda (from the film Paathshaala) and a cover of Aashayein (from the film Iqbal).
He was then joined by Sulaiman, wearing a black jacket and red shoes, and the duo performed Kurbaan Hua, from the film Kurbaan.
“We’ve been so excited to give all the love we’ve received. We promise to give you a great night,” Salim said after the song. The brothers followed it up with Ishq Wala Love (Student of the Year) and Shukran Allah (Kurbaan) as fans cheered.
They were then joined by singer Aditi Sharma and 2012 Indian Idol-winner Vipul Mehta. Once introduced, they performed a variety of songs indivdually and as a group. The artists performed classic Bollywood tracks such as Bachna Ae Haseeno, Om Shanti Om and Piya Tu Ab To Aaja. The audience coudln’t help but get up and dance.
The concert was divided into two parts, the first half of the concert was relatively more upbeat as Salim and Sulaiman and their fellow singers performed 15 songs, while the second half started on a soft note as Salim performed devotional songs Bismillah, Noor E Ilahi and Ali Maula.
After 20 songs together, audiences were treated to a surprise as Salim and Sulaiman, and rest of the artists performed a medley of romantic songs from their last 25 years in the industry. Some of the best songs performed in the 13-song medley was Chana Mereya (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil), Tujh Mein Rab Diktha Hain (Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi) and Kabhi Jo Baadal Barse (Jackpot). The medley also had a few inputs from Justin Bieber’s Sorry and What Do You Mean. The crowd was left in awe.
As the concert, called Namaste Abu Dhabi, to celebrate 70 years of India and Pakistan’s independence, was nearing its end, audiences left their seats to dance to songs such as Bang Bang, Tauba Tauba, Dance Pe Chance and Ainvy Ainvy. The artists also performed a few moves and requested the crowd to join their dance sequence next to the stage. With everyone clapping and cheering around the hall, it was clear that after three hours, Salim and Sulaiman had won their hearts.
— Viraj Asher is an intern at Gulf News.
