Globally acclaimed Indian music legend and two time Oscar-winner, A R Rahman will be performing for the first-time in Qatar at Khalifa International Stadium on Friday in what is billed as the biggest ever concert in the country.
An estimated 35,000 people are expected to attend the concert. "The three hour show is sure to mesmerise Doha,” event organiser Katara Studios CEO Hussein Fakhri told at a press conference Wednesday in the presence of the maestro.
The event's banking partner Doha Bank Group CEO Dr R Seetharaman and strategic partner LuLu Hypermarkets director Mohamed Althaf were also present on the occasion. The concert is a part of the Qatar-India Year of Culture 2019.
Talking to Gulf Times later, Rahman said it was courage that made him experiment with conventional music and bring in a variety of genres in his compositions.
“I think to experiment something new or different, you need courage. Staying safe following the normal routine is boring and I get bored very easily. You do something new and people, sometime, follow the trend. Then it also becomes boring and you have to find another path, more refreshing and more challenging.”
“That is what I think is the fire for me. You jump into that fire and things start happening,” he continued.
The music magician, during the interaction, also highlighted his journey over three decades. “I do my part through music to connect the world. Now I am also into movie production and the first movie, '99 Songs’ will be released this year,” he highlighted.
Rahman will be joined for the concert by popular Indian playback singers Udit Narayan, Shweta Mohan, Haricharan Seshadri, A R Rahman’s sisters and popular singers from the South Indian film industry, Reihana and Isshrathquadhre, playback singer from the Malayalam film industry Alphons Joseph, Bollywood playback singer Javed Ali, singer and actor Benny Dayal, Indian film score composer Ranjit Barot, Rahman’s troupe singer Dilshad Shabbir Ahmed Shaikh and Indian-born Canadian singer Jonita Gandhi.
The event is organised in association with Qatar Airways. The strategic partners include Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, Ministry of Culture and Sports, Aspire Zone and LuLu Hypermarkets. 
A two-time winner and five-time nominee of the Academy Awards (Oscar), as well as two time Grammy Award winner, Rahman is popularly known as the man who has redefined contemporary Indian music. He shot to international fame with his composition for the 2009 Hollywood production Slumdog Millionaire. Rahman also boasts of a Bafta, a Golden Globe, as well as a slew of awards in India, including six National Film Awards, 15 Filmfare Awards and 17 Filmfare Awards South.
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