Roopkumar, Sunali create musical magic on a wintry night

NAGPUR: It was a starry, wintry night when rhythm and cheer filled the air. The 11th anniversary of TOI was celebrated with a musical treat by noted playback singer and ghazal duo Roopkumar and Sunali Rathod at Le Meridien, Wardha Road, on Sunday evening.
The couple's association with Nagpur dates back many years. Sunali said she had been coming to Nagpur since she was a child and had friends and relatives in the city.Roopkumar added, "I have been coming to Nagpur since 1977 and have many memories attached to the city. Whether it is music or literature, Nagpur has always been at the fore."
'Kabhi toh asman se chand utare aur jaam ho jaaye, tumhare naam ki ek khoobsurat shaam ho jaaye... ' started Roopkumar, interspersing shayaris between melodies throughout the programme. He then sang the first line of the first song of the day, a romantic number, 'Tere liye hum hai jiye' from the movie Veer Zaara eliciting loud applause from the audience.
His rendition was followed by Sunali's 'Mujhe ishq ka kalma yaad raha' and 'Bindiya chamkegi'. She induced nostalgia in the audience as she sang 'Aap ki nazron ne samjha'. The song that took Roopkumar's popularity to new heights, 'Sandese aate hai,' from the movie Border was surely not missed. Roopkumar dedicated the song to India's soldiers posted at the border.
The song 'Khwaja mere Khwaja' resonated at the venue, as all accompanists then lent voice to the song, and the effect was surreal. Evergreen Qawwali 'Nigahen milaane ko jee chahta hai' was then presented. As part of it, all musicians played a piece on their respective instruments. Bhaskar Das played flute, Taqlaq Hussain was on harmonium, Sushant Sharma guitar, Hussain played keyboard, Asrar Ahmed on tabla and Harsh Naseri was on Octopad. The duo singers also awed the audience with befitting jugalbandi.
Next to follow was 'Aisa toh zindagi se vaada nahi tha, tere bina jeene ka irada nahi tha'. Roopkumar also gracefully accepted song requests and sang 'Dulhania ki dori', laaga chunari mein drag' and one of the most favourite songs, 'Tujh mein rab dikhta hai' from the movie Rab NE Bana Di Jodi. The requests kept pouring in and Roopkumar then crooned 'Rashke Qamar' and followed it up with a medley of songs including 'Dil ko tumse pyaar hua' and 'Toh chalu'. Their charming chemistry was one of the highlights of the show. They ended the show with the romantic song, 'Maula mere maula'.