Thousands of cheering fans gathered on March 1, 2019, at Doha's state-of-the-art Ali Bin Hamad Al Attiyah Arena in Al Sadd to witness Bollywood's Sultans of Swag, Vishal & Shekhar, featuring Qatar’s very own Fahad Al Kubaisi in the first ever Indo-Gulf collaboration and live performance in Doha.

With a full house, 6000 people packed arena, the sensational duo, along with Qatar’s very own Grammy-nominated Fahad Al Kubaisi, collaborated on the song Swag se karenge sabka swagat which featured lyrics in both Hindi and Arabic to showcase the love and bilateral cultural relations between Qatar and India through the India-Qatar Year of Culture. The song worked on by all three artists for this historical concert, highlights togetherness, harmony and unity. Vishal Dadlani, singer and vocalist of the electronic band Pentagram, and Shekhar Ravjiani, a trained classical singer, said: “We are very excited to be in Qatar for the first time and it was an honour to do this performance here.”

Droves of fans attended the concert to hear some of the biggest hits from Vishal & Shekhar who sang hits such as 'Swag Se Swagat', 'Tiger Zinda Hai', 'Befikre', 'Ra.One' and 'Sultan'. The duo also performed some of Bollywood’s top hits sending crowds into a frenzy.

As a part of this spectacular performance, FAB Entertainment also successfully promoted the Welfare for Workers Initiative which saw companies like HBK, Galfar etc across Qatar signing up for discounted tickets for its labour workforce to gain access to the concert.

Says CEO of FAB Entertainment, Fauzia Vohra: “Vishal and Shekhar live in concert, featuring Fahad Al Kubaisi, epitomises the aim behind the Qatar-India Year of Culture by bringing together communities in Qatar to interact, engage and enjoy each other’s traditions and cultures. We look forward to creating more of these events in the future to ensure we continue strengthening the bond between Qatar and India. The promotion of our Welfare for Workers Initiative, which saw all communities enjoying this spectacular performance, is one that is close to our hearts which we will continue to grow.”

Adds Mr. Ughandhar of HBK “We are extremely proud of the Worker’s Welfare Initiative and what it stands for and are happy to be part of this initiative which supports HBK’s values. We look forward to continuing this partnership well into the future.”

Partners of Vishal and Shekhar featuring Fahad Al Kubaisi include the Qatar National Tourism Council, Qatar Airways, Careem, St. Regis Doha, Qatar Volunteers and the Indian Embassy which have all made this historic event possible. Qatar Volunteers also partnered providing several volunteers to assist with ushering, information, and other logistics as part of the event. Additionally, Delhi Public School also partook in the festivities with a special performance during the concert.

Rashed Alqurese from Qatar National Tourism Council commented: “We are always happy to collaborate with local organisations in supporting nation-wide initiatives such as the Qatar-India Year of Culture 2019. India is one of our key source markets for tourism and there has been positive growth in the number of Indian visitors to Qatar since the opening of the QNTC India office last year Such events and activities help us immensely in our endeavours to celebrate the diversity of our society and its uniqueness. The concert was a great success and we are very happy to see the response of the audiences to such cultural initiatives.”

Attendees to this event included local and international dignitaries, ambassadors, and international media. Qatar Airways Senior Vice President Marketing and Corporate Communications, Ms. Salam Al Shawa, said: “We are delighted to be the Official Airline Partner for the ‘Qatar-India Music Extravaganza’ featuring one of Bollywood’s most celebrated duo artists – Vishal and Shekhar, in an event that drew thousands of spectators and fans of all ages.”

“As the Official Airline Partner, Qatar Airways looks forward to being the bridge between Qatar and India, whose close partnership is highlighted in this concert that acknowledges the universal language of music shared between both nations.”

Added Raghu Menon General Manager of The St. Regis Doha, hospitality partner: “We are delighted to host Vishal and Shekhar at St. Regis Doha and are always happy to work FAB Entertainment on such collaborations. We look forward to working together in future.”

The event concluded at the St. Regis Doha, the official hospitality partner for this momentous occasion with a glitzy after party for VVIP guests and the celebrity artists.

Source: Press release

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Binu Cherian

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