OAKLAND, CA: Indian and Pakistani superstar singers, Sonu Nigam and Atif Aslam delivered an electrifying performance here Sept. 24 in a four-hour concert billed as “Sonu and Atif Klose to You,” presented by Instant Karma, Shor Media, Calcoast financial, Naeem Wahab, in association with Danny & Himesh Patel. Shree Balaji productions was the national promoter of the tour.
The popular duo proved that creativity and art has no boundaries and succeeded in bringing their fans from both countries together in great numbers to the Oracle Arena, Oakland for a completely sold-out show.
Sonu Nigam, the one name known for transcending eras, lending his soulful voice to various successful tracks for over two decades, returned to the stage after a six-month hiatus. The singer was on bed rest following a knee surgery last March. This trip marks his first-ever tour with artiste Atif Aslam. In the past, the two singers have performed together at one-off concerts in Dubai, Malaysia and Singapore.
“The purpose of this tour is to showcase the camaraderie between two artistes from different countries. In the past, our concerts together were great. Perhaps, that’s why there is such demand for Atif and me to perform together,” says Sonu Nigam.
The show started with a dazzling fashion show featuring gold and diamond jewelry from PNG Jewelers, gold sponsor of the concert and Vama Designs. PNG Jewelers is synonymous with able craftsmanship, purity, happy occasions, endurance and trust. They have showrooms in Sunnyvale and Fremont.
The sold-out show with 13,000 fans from India and Pakistan, Atif Aslam took the stage for the first half with his band. As the band played in high tempo, the Pakistani host welcomed him on to the stage. Aslam rendered most of his chartbusters Tere Sang Yaara, Karam Kudai Ka, Doorie Saha Jaaye Na, Jeene Lagaa Hoon, O Re Piya, and many more to the audience’s delight.
He brought the crowd to their feet and near to the stage to interact with him as belted out his hits. Atif Aslam has been instrumental in bringing Pakistan into the international arena. After making a name for himself in dozens of Bollywood films and then Hollywood with Man Push Cart and The Reluctant Fundamentalist, he has acted in 2011 Pakistani movie Bol and has also made special appearances in film songs.
With more than 500 chartbusters to his credit and a host of awards under his belt, an extraordinary talent with a zeal to surpass his own targets and a performer par excellence, Sonu Nigam is a superstar, an icon to millions of music lovers across the globe.
The most popular and loved singer in Bollywood, Sonu Nigam’s concerts are a rage worldwide. Sonu Nigam clad in yellow kurta and dhoti-style pyjama, came onto the stage with great fanfare at around 9:45pm.
From the very beginning, Nigam owned the stage and showed that he is not only a great singer but also a complete performer and an entertainer. He started off with the song Shukran Allah followed by patriotic number from Rang De Basanti with the Indian flag colors lighting up the stage.
Sonu rendered his other evergreen melody and hit numbers, Tere Haath Mein Mera Haath Ho from Fanaa, Saathiya, Main Hoon Na, Agneepath. He dedicated “Abhi Mujh Mein Kahin” from Agneepath to his mother, who passed away few years back.
Sonu dedicated a special song, which he sang for the first time in any concert, “Sapna Jahan” from Brothers to Bhavini Joshi, CEO of Instant Karma, who was the local promoter of this unforgettable concert.
At 18, Sonu began training with classical maestro Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan and subsequently moved to Mumbai to try his luck in Bollywood. It was in the mid-1990s that Nigam started to come into his own and found fame with the song Sandese Aate Hain from the 1997 war drama Border.
During the third segment of the concert, Sonu Nigam and Atif Aslam paid rich tribute to the musical legends of both the countries such as Rafi sahab, Mehdi Hasan, Reshma and many others.
There was never a dull moment in the program. The grand finale was a special Jugalbandi. They sang each other’s hits and concluded with “Kal Ho Na Ho,” together capturing everybody’s hearts in the arena and bringing the biggest Bollywood show of 2016 to an end.
The concert, presented by Instant Karma and team, will be remembered by all music lovers for a long time. Instant Karma is Bay Area’s premier entertainment company founded by Bhavini Joshi. Instant Karma covers all aspects of the entertainment spectrum including live concerts, dramas, Bollywood parties, personal celebrations, networking events, mela, plays, concerts, trade shows, property shows.
Mike Singh, Live in Concert on Nov 6 at City National Civic, San Jose is their upcoming show.
Sponsors of this grand concert : Grand Sponsor Cal Coast Financial Corp Roger Bakshi , Intero Real Estate Kaajal Shahani, Gold Sponsor PNG Jewelers Inc, Travel Partner Rolls Royce ,Shalimar Sunnyvale, Kukkis Cusine, Peacock Restaurants Dublin and Cakes N Bakes, Beazer Homes Jasmine Sunkara , Care Life Jawed Wahab, Maha Vaastu Gautam Rana,United Tax, Tea India, Munshiji 24X7, Calcoast Insurance Shahab Siddiqui, Nirmalya Modak, Charity Partner Yours Humanly, Matrix Insurance, Eve Decor, Tariq and Rajwant Abedi and Lyca Mobile.
Vidya Sethuraman
India Post News Service
