Indian Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh paid tribute to legendary Pakistani qawwal Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan by performing his iconic song Saanso Ki Maala at London’s Wembley Stadium.
Dosanjh performed the classic during his Aura World Tour concert on September 12, as he became the first Punjabi artist to headline the iconic venue.
Speaking about the performance, Dosanjh praised Nusrat and acknowledged the difficulty of performing his music.
“Nusrat Sahab was a great artist, and singing his song was not easy for anyone. I wanted to try and pay tribute to him; he was a legend,” he said.
Dosanjh said the rendition came from his admiration and love for the late qawwal, while apologising for any mistakes he may have made during the performance.
Dosanjh began the concert with his well-known line, “The Punjabis have arrived”, before moving into a celebration of Punjabi music and its legacy.
His performance drew a strong response from the audience, with phone lights illuminating the stadium as he sang. Clips from the concert later circulated widely on social media.
Dosanjh’s team estimated that around 90,000 people attended the Wembley show.
Cross-border collaborations
The singer has previously shared the stage with Pakistani actor Hania Aamir during a London concert.
The two later appeared together in the Punjabi film Sardaar Ji 3, making their collaboration one of the more prominent cross-border moments in recent Punjabi cinema.
Dosanjh also praised Aamir’s professionalism while working on the film, which was later pulled from Indian theatres.
Aura World Tour continues
Following the Wembley concert, Dosanjh announced that the next stop on his tour would be Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on November 21.
He made the announcement partly in Gujarati while addressing the London audience.
Ticketing details and further dates for the India leg of the Aura World Tour were yet to be announced.
