“Salaam Dubai! I’m always fascinated by your energy, love and enthusiasm. I’m thrilled to be here with an audience full of josh [enthusiasm] and I’m sure tonight will be a dhamaal [rocking] with KK and me,” said Shaan, as screams from fans greeted him when he took the stage with Main hoon don (Don), 20 minutes into the show at Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium on Friday night.
And rock they did.
Salaam Dubai 2016, Oberoi Middle East’s 82nd show in Dubai, opened exactly at 9pm, with newcomer Shruti Rane singing Samjhawan (Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania) and Afghan Jalebi (Phantom) before Shaan, one of the two stars of the show, took over at 9.20pm.
“Let’s take it slowly,” Shaan said. “We’ll sing some sweet, soft numbers first and build up the party.”
Performing in Dubai after several years, the Tanha Dil singer had several hits to sing for the next hour — from the mushy Chaar kadam (PK), Tere naina bade qatil (Jai Ho) and Jab se tere naina (Saawariya) to the funky Main aisa hi hoon (Lakshya) and Subah ho gayi mamu (Munnabhai MBBS) before bringing his session to an end with the mellifluous Chand sifarish (Fanaa). Many of the renditions he dedicated to different people, including his wife Radhika and school friends who were in the audience listening to him.
He then gave the stage to the National Award-winning singer KK (for Tu aashiqui hai from Jhankaar Beats). KK however did not follow buddy Shaan’s pattern, preferring to shake up the audience’s emotions by effortlessly switching gears from a high energy Kya mujhe pyar hai (Woh Lamhe) to a soulful Dil ibaadat kar raha hai (Tum Mile) to a haunting Tu bhoola jisse (Airlift) to the romantic Tu hi meri shab hai (Gangster) and the melancholic Tu jo mila (Bajrangi Bhaijaan).
“Dubai audience gets better and better each time I’m here. Let’s now talk of love and friendship Dubai,” he said before ending the segment with all-time favourite Yaaron dosti mohabbat from his album Pal.
The duo returned to the stage after a short break to perform a tribute to R.D. Burman, whose death anniversary fell on January 4, singing classics such as Chand mera dil and Chura liya hai tumne jo dil ko (Yaadon Ki Baraat), and Oh mere dil ke chain (Mere Jeevan Saathi). The bromance was palpable between two of India’s favourite singers as they ribbed each other over songs they had first sung to their wives – Humme tumse pyar kitna (Kudrat) for Shaan and Pyar deewana hota hai (Kati Patang) for KK – and who had bigger biceps.
“KK and I weren’t sure about this segment of the show. I didn’t realise it would be such a big hit with the listeners,” Shaan told tabloid! backstage after the show. “It was amazing how they joined us in the fun”.
I was feeling a little disappointed as I thought they were winding up the evening without KK having sung a personal favourite: Tadap tadap from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. But the singers had no such plans. KK did perform goosebumps-raising unplugged renditions of Tadap tadap – which I’m sure will one day be sung as a classic by following generations – and the title track of the album Pal.
Even though it was almost 1am, it didn’t seem like the party was about to end. The audience couldn’t help getting up to shake a leg to KK’s Tune maari entriyaan (Gunday) or Shaan’s Om shaanti om (Om Shanti Om) and Nach all night (Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna) or to the medley they sang together including Oh humdum sunio re (Saathiya), It’s the time to disco (Kal Ho Naa Ho) and Koi kahe kehta rahe (Dil Chahta Hai).
And all the while Shaan and KK seemed to be having their own little party on stage, dancing to their own tunes.
