Ayushmann writes for tabloid!
Ahead of his performance in the city, the actor and singer writes exclusively for tabloid! about what his fans can expect from the show
As we finish our band rehearsals in our favourite jam room in Andheri, Mumbai, the band members are feeling more excited than usual. They remember their shopping list slightly more than the music cues. And why not? We are going to the closest first world country. This time it’s the Middle East tour. Three hours, no jet lag and full swag.
We have included new songs in our set list. Also, there’s a new zest as this is my first foreign concert after my two hits, Bareilly Ki Barfi and Shubh Mangal Saavdhan. So expect to hear Nazm Nazm and Sweety Tera Drama from the former and Kanha from the latter as they are the new entrants in the playlist.
There’s no performance anxiety this time around. Ahem.
I’ve always [been] mighty intrigued by the Middle East. In my teens, before visiting this place, I always thought it was a battlefield for India and Pakistan, away from their homes. As I’ve seen matches on TV being played in Sharjah with bated breath with the only venue in the planet where there’s equal support for both the teams. It also reminds me of two Sachin Tendulkar innings against Australia. They named it desert storm because the match was interrupted by a desert storm and his innings were just too phenomenal and unique just like this place. It’s a cultural melting pot where desis interact freely and celebrate each other’s similarities and dissimilarities alike.
Just like I discovered these beautiful congruencies when I went for my first foreign trip ever. It was none other than Pakistan. In 2005, there was a student exchange programme and that was the year when I acted in a short film based on Baba Bulleh Shah, the Sufi saint who propagated communal harmony and has followers and admirers on both sides of the border. And this time I’m going to happily share the stage with Ali Zafar, a fine artist from across the border and also a Bulleh Shah lover.
Music lovers in this part of the world are well acquainted with all genres of music, be it Sufi, Bollywood, classical or International. They’re the most evolved audience with a purist taste. I’m just waiting for those butterflies to settle in my belly before going on stage. That’s the feeling you get just before finding the divine.
“The divine is found by those with a pure and true heart.” — Bulleh Shah