A magical evening with sound of Sufi, Bolly romance

NOIDA: There was rain the air, a moist wind caressing the venue after one of summer's harshest spells: just the right setting for the soulful music of Javed Ali. And the singer ensured it was an evening Noida won't forget.
The Bollywood singer's show was the final act in the three-day Times Noida festival that spread joy across the city this weekend. And what an act it was.
From poignant Sufi numbers to Bollywood hits, the singer kept the audience enthralled. He set the tone by starting with 'Kehne ko jashne bahara hai' of Jodha Akbar, the 2007 Hrithik Roshan-Aishwarya Rai starrer, and followed it up with romantic numbers like the title track of Shah Rukh Khan's 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan' and Mohammad Rafi's 'Tum jo mil gaye ho', his personal favourite, to loud applause from the capacity audience that clapped and sang with him.
"I'd planned some surprise elements, Sufi songs, peppy numbers as well as melodious songs so that my audience gets a variety and enjoys itself," said the singer of 'Kajra Re' (Bunty Aur Babli) and 'Arziyaan' (Delhi 6).
The Delhi boy, who grew up in the lanes of Panchkuian road, was excited about performing in Noida. "I love the UP crowd. They are 'dhamaal' (awesome) as they enjoy all kinds of music," he said before the concert.
For the playback singer, who's performed all over India and sung in Bengali, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu as well as judged reality shows on television, singing in Noida was like performing for a home crowd. "Since I belong to Delhi, every time I'm in the city, I feel as though I'm singing to a home audience. And Noida being close to Delhi, its like singing in the same city. The audience here is amazing and very discerning," said the singer, who last performed in Noida some six years back at a Durga Puja event.
From his vast repertoire of Ishaqzaade, Jab Tak Hai Jaan (2012), Kun Faya Kun (Rockstar 2011) to Aaoge Jab Tum Saajna (Jab We Met 2006, originally sung by Usad Rashid Khan) and more, the evening was a mix of happy, joyous mood with youngsters swaying to their favourite numbers while asking for more and elders enjoying with equal élan.