Wajid Khan was one of Bollywood's most recognised contemporary composers. Getty
Wajid Khan was one of Bollywood's most recognised contemporary composers. Getty
Wajid Khan was one of Bollywood's most recognised contemporary composers. Getty
Wajid Khan was one of Bollywood's most recognised contemporary composers. Getty

'He was always smiling': Bollywood composer Wajid Khan dies aged 42


Emma Day
  • English
  • Arabic

Film composer and music director Wajid Khan, who was one half of the renowned Sajid-Wajid duo, has died aged 42.

The musician, who created soundtracks for dozens of Bollywood blockbusters with his brother Sajid, died in Mumbai following complications from a kidney infection.

The veteran composer is believed to have had coronavirus, according to entertainment journalist Faridoon Shahryar.

“Sad news: noted singer Sonu Nigam just confirmed to me that music composer Wajid Khan of Sajid-Wajid passed away a short while back," Shahryar said on Twitter. "He was suffering from Covid-19."

Khan, who worked on the score for films including Wanted and Dabangg, underwent a kidney transplant recently, according to composer Salim Merchant.

He confirmed Khan's death on Twitter, saying he was "shocked and broken" by the news.

“He had multiple issues. He had a kidney issue and had a transplant a while ago. But recently he got to know about a kidney infection," Salim told news agency PTI.

"He was on the ventilator for the last four days, after his situation started getting worse. Kidney infection was the beginning and then he got critical."

Playback singer Sonu Nigam was among the first to confirm the news, posting an image of Khan on Instagram with the caption: "My brother Wajid left us."

Khan's story

Khan, son of tabla player Ustad Sharafat Ali Khan, made his Bollywood debut with Sajid for the soundtrack of 1998 film Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya, which stars Salman Khan.

The duo went on to work on several of the actor's films, including Tumko Na Bhool Payenge, Veer and Partner.

Wajid also showed off his vocals on a number of tracks, including Chal Maar from 2016's Tutak Tutak Tutiya and Bullett Raja from the 2013 film of the same name.

Wajid Khan, left, with his brother Sajid. Instagram / Sajid-Wajid
Wajid Khan, left, with his brother Sajid. Instagram / Sajid-Wajid

The Khan brothers acted as mentors on talent reality shows Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Singing Superstar and Sa Re Ga Ma Pa 2012 and scored music for singers Nigam and Rahul Vaidya on non-film-related albums.

After news of Khan's death was announced, a number of Bollywood celebrities paid tribute to the composer.

Quantico star Priyanka Chopra said she was shocked by the "terrible news", saying she would always remember the musician's laugh.

Singer Javed Ali shared his sadness over Khan's death, saying "may his soul rest in peace".

Actor Varun Dhawan revealed the composer had been very close to his family, as he shared a picture of his father with Khan.

"Shocked hearing this news. Wajid Khan was extremely close to me and my family," he said. "He was one of the most positive people to be around. We will miss you Wajid bhai, thank you for the music.”

Sajid-Wajid most recently composed a song for Ali to mark Eid Al Fitr, with the track released last week.

They also crafted Salman Khan's recent track Pyaar Karona, an anthem to encourage listeners to do their part to fight the pandemic.

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Prop idols

Girls full-contact rugby may be in its infancy in the Middle East, but there are already a number of role models for players to look up to.

Sophie Shams (Dubai Exiles mini, England sevens international)

An Emirati student who is blazing a trail in rugby. She first learnt the game at Dubai Exiles and captained her JESS Primary school team. After going to study geophysics at university in the UK, she scored a sensational try in a cup final at Twickenham. She has played for England sevens, and is now contracted to top Premiership club Saracens.

----

Seren Gough-Walters (Sharjah Wanderers mini, Wales rugby league international)

Few players anywhere will have taken a more circuitous route to playing rugby on Sky Sports. Gough-Walters was born in Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, raised in Sharjah, did not take up rugby seriously till she was 15, has a master’s in global governance and ethics, and once worked as an immigration officer at the British Embassy in Abu Dhabi. In the summer of 2021 she played for Wales against England in rugby league, in a match that was broadcast live on TV.

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Erin King (Dubai Hurricanes mini, Ireland sevens international)

Aged five, Australia-born King went to Dubai Hurricanes training at The Sevens with her brothers. She immediately struck up a deep affection for rugby. She returned to the city at the end of last year to play at the Dubai Rugby Sevens in the colours of Ireland in the Women’s World Series tournament on Pitch 1.

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Wed, Aug 29:

  • Malaysia bt Hong Kong by 3 wickets
  • Oman bt Nepal by 7 wickets
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Thu, Aug 30: UAE v Nepal; Hong Kong v Singapore; Malaysia v Oman

Sat, Sep 1: UAE v Hong Kong; Oman v Singapore; Malaysia v Nepal

Sun, Sep 2: Hong Kong v Oman; Malaysia v UAE; Nepal v Singapore

Tue, Sep 4: Malaysia v Singapore; UAE v Oman; Nepal v Hong Kong

Thu, Sep 6: Final

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Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:

  • An arms embargo
  • A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
  • A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
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  • Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
Living in...

This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.

New schools in Dubai
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2002 Giselle Khoury (Colombia)

2004 Nathalie Nasralla (France)

2005 Catherine Abboud (Oceania)

2007 Grace Bijjani  (Mexico)

2008 Carina El-Keddissi (Brazil)

2009 Sara Mansour (Brazil)

2010 Daniella Rahme (Australia)

2011 Maria Farah (Canada)

2012 Cynthia Moukarzel (Kuwait)

2013 Layla Yarak (Australia)              

2014 Lia Saad  (UAE)

2015 Cynthia Farah (Australia)

2016 Yosmely Massaad (Venezuela)

2017 Dima Safi (Ivory Coast)

2018 Rachel Younan (Australia)

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Obed Suhail of ServiceMarket, an online home services marketplace, outlines the five types of long-term residential visas:

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1. South Africa
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4. Fiji
5. Australia
6. Samoa
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Five healthy carbs and how to eat them

Brown rice: consume an amount that fits in the palm of your hand

Non-starchy vegetables, such as broccoli: consume raw or at low temperatures, and don’t reheat  

Oatmeal: look out for pure whole oat grains or kernels, which are locally grown and packaged; avoid those that have travelled from afar

Fruit: a medium bowl a day and no more, and never fruit juices

Lentils and lentil pasta: soak these well and cook them at a low temperature; refrain from eating highly processed pasta variants

Courtesy Roma Megchiani, functional nutritionist at Dubai’s 77 Veggie Boutique

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Africa Institute 101

Housed on the same site as the original Africa Hall, which first hosted an Arab-African Symposium in 1976, the newly renovated building will be home to a think tank and postgraduate studies hub (it will offer master’s and PhD programmes). The centre will focus on both the historical and contemporary links between Africa and the Gulf, and will serve as a meeting place for conferences, symposia, lectures, film screenings, plays, musical performances and more. In fact, today it is hosting a symposium – 5-plus-1: Rethinking Abstraction that will look at the six decades of Frank Bowling’s career, as well as those of his contemporaries that invested social, cultural and personal meaning into abstraction.