Symphony Hall celebrates Bollywood musical legends

Two of India’s finest singers, Roop Kumar Rathod and Sunali Rathod, are set to dazzle audiences with renditions of their most classic and popular Hindi film musical hits in an upcoming tribute tour.

Celebrating the Legends, which kicks off Bollywood’s 100th birthday celebrations will be entertaining crowds across the UK as part of a national tour which includes a date at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall.

The husband and wife duo will launch their tour in Birmingham on 5th September, before heading to perform in Leicester and London on the 7th and 8th September respectively. Their show intends on taking UK audiences on a trip down memory lane with an evening of timeless classics from a bygone era, in addition to Roop’s own hits from well-known Bollywood films.

Celebrating the Legends will see Roop Kumar Rathod the voice behind popular hits Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Sandese Aate Hain, Toh Chalun and Maula Mere Maula and his wife Sunali Rathod pay tribute to the legendary Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar, Talat Mahmood and Noor Jehan.

They will be performing classics such as Jo Waada Kiya (Taj Mahal), Itna Na Mujhse Tu Pyaar Badha (Chaaya), Aawaaz De Kahan Hai (Anmol Ghadi), Suhani Raat (Dulari) and Madhuban Mein Radhika (Kohinoor).

Accompanied by eight of the finest handpicked musicians flown over from India, they will cover some of the best loved songs from yesteryear, including Rafi classics like Chaudhvin Ka Chaand (Chaudhvin Ka Chaand), O Duniya Ke Rakhwale (Baiju Bawra), Suhani Raat Dhal Chuki (Dulari); Lata classics like Aapki Nazron Ne Samjha (Anpadh), Lag Ja Gale (Woh Kaun Thi) and Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Yeh (Dil Apna Aur Preet Parai).

Talat classics like Tasveer Banata Hoon (Baradari), Itna Na Mujhse Tu Pyaar Badha (Chhaya) and favourites from Noor Jehan like Chaandni Raatein (Dupatta) and Aawaz De Kahan Hai (Anmol Ghadi) will also be performed.

Also on the programme and back by popular demand will be the couple’s rendition of Madhuban Mein Radhika (Kohinoor), which brought the house down during Saregama’s 2010 sell out An Evening with Roop Kumar and Sunali Rathod tour.

According to Roop and Sunali, “The exhilarating response that we got on our UK tour in 2010 has encouraged us to come back to be with our favorite audience one more time. We are thrilled that Saregama Events are doing this. We are completing 100 years of Indian cinema next year, but if we try to count the names and pay homage to all those responsible it will take another 100 years. So in our own innovative style, we will sing not only our own popular numbers but also gems from the Golden era of cinema.”

With a fan following of millions around the globe, the likes of Rafi, Lata, Talat and Noor need little introduction. Nevertheless, Saregama recognises the importance of showcasing India’s classic singers and songs.

Head of Saregama Events, Amarpal Gaind, sung the couple’s praises, “Roop and Sunali are the perfect people to lead this series of concerts. Not only are they classically trained, they are stars in their own right, and their beautiful voices will be sure to send audiences on a trip down memory lane.”

“Celebrating the Legends is our grandest project to date and we don’t mind being loud and proud about it. We will be honoring some of the sub continent’s finest singers and their landmark songs. Roop and Sunali are classically trained musicians and yet commercially successful therefore are the most appropriate choice to pay tribute to these great artists, made especially poignant in the lead up to the 100th anniversary,” explained Saregama’s Amarpal Singh Gaind.

“Roop’s silken voice is perfect to do justice to greats like Rafi and Talat, but with a new spin to it, while Sunali’s versatile vocals will evoke memories of Lata and Noor at their peak.”

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Tickets for the Celebrating the Legends show can be purchased here.

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