For one night only, Classical and Bollywood singer Rafaqat Ali Khan, graced the stage at Leicester’s Peepul centre to share his message of love and togetherness with his motto that “everyone is one” through his music.
Presented by the Pakistan Youth and Community Association, the concert was held as part of the Eid celebrations to share happiness amongst the community.
Hailing from Lahore, Pakistan, Rafaqat Ali Khan comes from a musically influenced family, with an impressive history of over 500 years in music.
Kulbinder Rai dubbed the “Singing Policeman” was the opening act for the evening and performed with passion, as he sang his latest song ‘Rohb’ encouraging peace and harmony.
Wearing his signature black hat, Rafaqat Ali Khan took to the stage and began his performance by softly and sweetly singing “Zindagi Ka Safar Meh”, followed by Bollywood classic “Ehsaan Tera Hoga” from the classic movie Junglee.
Among the audience was Leicester City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby, who shared his thoughts of the evening: “This is a great event and is the right time for Leicester, after a difficult couple of weeks and as the city of culture bid is due to be in soon”.
Also, present was Inspector Ed Wilding, Commander of Keyham Lane, who joined the singer for a dance infront of the stage, as Rafaqat Ali Khan, performed his own version of ‘Tera Mast Mast Do Nain’ from Bollywood movie Dabaang 2.
As the evening flowed, the audiences were entertained with Rafaqat Ali Khan’s passionate voice, as he sang a number of beautiful Qawwali’s and impressively challenged his vocal range against the beats of the tablas. He then gave a mesmerising performance of ‘Sajda’ from the movie ‘My Name is Khan’.
The audience were treated to a special surprise as Rafaqat Ali Khan, called upon his talented 11 year old son, Bakht Ali Khan, who joined him on stage and stunned the audience with his powerful vocal range and expressive voice as he sang a number of songs, including the hit romantic song “Tum Hi Ho” from the movie Aashiqui 2.
Singing in Hindi and Punjabi, Rafaqat Ali Khan danced with the audience as he sang a medley of songs including ‘Maula Maula’ and ‘Surili Akhiyon Wale’, as the audience clapped and sang along.
Closing the show on a high, Rafaqat Ali Khan gave his Leicester audience a night to remember as he left the stage to a standing ovation.
