On Sonu Nigam’s birthday, a look back at the time he disguised himself as a street musician | Bollywood

Over the last three decades, singer Sonu Nigam has won hearts with his melodies and notes in the Hindi film industry. As the singer turns 51 today, let’s take a trip back in time to the time when Sonu donned a disguise and hit the streets of Mumbai to showcase his talent and win hearts. Read also: Sonu Nigam plans a movie date with fans on birthday; to watch a documentary with them

A blast from the past

In 2016, Sonu, known for his powerful vocals, transformed into a street musician, hiding his identity behind a fake beard, cool clothes and sunglasses. With harmonium in hand, he sat on a street corner and sang his classic, the title track of Kal Ho Naa Ho.

He disguised himself as a street performer in a video titled The Roadside Ustaad, which was released on Culture Machine’s digital channel Being Indian as an experiment on the busy streets of Juhu. It was meant to see how pedestrians reacted to an old man’s singing.

The video shows passersby stopping to listen, mesmerized by the musician’s soulful voice. As the crowd grew, so did the applause, and soon people were showering him with money and praise. One person can even be seen asking to record his voice on the phone. The experiment was a reflection of how music brings everyone together and knows no boundaries.

More about the video

Sonu then spoke about the initiative and said in a statement, “I went into (making this video) without any expectations, completely devoid of any discomfort about the way I looked and what I would be subjecting myself to. For the first time, I was not myself. The makeup was so good and authentic that people who were so close to me couldn’t recognize me.”

“It was all so humbling. And from such an unknown zone, I managed to get something. Gratitude, grace and appreciation for what we have,” he added.

About his birthday plans

This year, Sonu will be celebrating his birthday with his extended family. He will be spending the first half of the day with his select fans at a movie night. The documentary that will be screened in Mumbai is about his concert in Dubai in February this year. It talks about a time when he lost his voice three days before the show and how he came back to perform a 3.5-hour show for almost 20,000 fans.

Talking about the plan, Sonu says, “We ended up creating something so special that we decided to share it with our soulmates, who others call fans. People who love you and follow your work live your life vicariously. So when something as moving as my experience at the Dubai concert happened, I decided to document it and wanted to include my extended family in it.”