At Dubai Music Week’s Bollywood Night concert on Saturday, the actor, filmmaker and singer Farhan Akhtar rocked the Dubai World Trade Centre Arena in an explosive performance supported by the powerhouse Pritam and a troupe of singers and musicians, rounding off the city’s biggest celebration of global music with the best of Bollywood.
The concert started at 9.30pm with several rousing acts that pumped up the crowd for Akhtar’s appearance – the biggest crowd-puller – at midnight.
Anupam Amod and Ritu Pathak performed a series of duets and solos from various Bollywood films featuring compositions by Pritam, whose name is synonymous with soundtracks. The duo wrapped their set with the well-chosen Te Amo from the 2011 film Dum Maaro Dum to thunderous applause.
Then Arjit Singh took the reins with a few solo songs, including Beinteha and Tum Hi Ho Bandhu from the 2012 film Cocktail. The latter went down so well that Singh performed an encore. The energy level was extremely amped up by this point and Harshdeep Kaur made her entry with the soulful Kabira (from this year’s Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani), mellowing the crowd down considerably. Overwhelmed by the moment – and by the audience’s response – Singh bowed to Dubai, thanking the city and its people for their love. The two continued with a few more duets, but it was Kaur’s Jugni Ji that drove the audience wild. Pritam later joined Kaur in singing his composition Tum Hi Ho Bandhu.
The UAE’s very own Benny Dayal took the stage at around 11.30pm, treating the audience to some of his biggest hits: Tu Hi Meri Dost Hai from the 2008 film Yuvraaj, to his latest hits, such as Daru Desi (Cocktail), Badtameez Dil (Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani) and Lat Lag Gai (2013’s Race 2). The singer, who grew up in Abu Dhabi, is currently one of the most popular playback singers in the Hindi film industry. Songs featuring his vocals have racked up close to 45 million views on YouTube.
After Dayal, it was Akhtar himself. An endearing mix of showman and guy-next-door, the Bollywood star alternated between rock-star glam and boyish charm. From doing push-ups on stage and teasing the crowd about their request for a glimpse of his chiselled physique (following his portrayal of the athlete Milkha Singh in this year’s Bhaag Milkha Bhaag), to humble words of thanks to his fans and acknowledging his entire crew, Akhtar was the proverbial best saved for the last. His raspy vocals had everyone on their feet as they went down memory lane with Socha Hai (2008’s Rock On!) and Dil Chahta Hai (2001’s Dil Chahta Hai).
The grand finale was his roaring rendition of the title track of Rock On!, sending the crowd into a frenzy. It was 1.15am before the concert came to an end, the audience heading home with ears ringing and hearts pumping wildly after what was a resoundingly successful Bollywood night.
artslife@thenational.ae
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Pearls on a Branch: Oral Tales
Najlaa Khoury, Archipelago Books
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The five pillars of Islam
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
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Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
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Investment raised: $4 million
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AT4 Ultimate, as tested
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Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
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Adele: The Stories Behind The Songs
Caroline Sullivan
Carlton Books
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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Sting & Shaggy
44/876
(Interscope)
The Limehouse Golem
Director: Juan Carlos Medina
Cast: Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy, Douglas Booth
Three stars
