‘He smiled, started singing’: Delhi pianist recalls playing for Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim

Delhi Pianist Shares a Musical Moment With Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim

Indiadailyupdate.com – A familiar piano melody in a Delhi hotel lobby turned into an unexpected diplomatic moment on September 12, when Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim joined pianist Mujeeb ur Rehman in singing a Hindi classic during his visit for the BRICS summit.

Rehman, 45, performs regularly in the lobby of Le Meridien Delhi. Earlier that day, hotel management had alerted him that Ibrahim, known to enjoy Hindi film music, could pass through the lobby. The notice gave the musician time to prepare a small selection tailored to the visiting leader’s musical preferences.

Rehman searched for songs associated with Ibrahim and settled on two well-known Hindi numbers: Dost dost na raha, sung by Mukesh for Raj Kapoor’s 1964 film Sangam, and Khwab ho tum ya koi haqeeqat, Kishore Kumar’s romantic song from the 1965 Dev Anand film Teen Deviyan.

A lobby performance becomes a viral clip

When Ibrahim entered the hotel lobby that evening, Rehman began playing Dost dost na raha as a musical greeting. The prime minister responded warmly and moved closer to the piano before singing along. He later asked for the second song, creating the moment captured in a video that subsequently spread widely online.

“He smiled, walked towards me, and started singing. He then requested the other song, Khwab ho tum ya koi haqeeqat and that’s the video that has gone viral. It was a wonderful experience meeting him, playing with him,” Rehman said.

Ibrahim posted the video to his X account on September 12. The clip, showing him singing as Rehman played, rapidly gained attention and had received 1.5 million views and 18,000 likes.

The exchange offered a reminder of Hindi cinema’s continuing cultural reach beyond India. Songs from the mid-20th century remain widely recognised across generations and borders, often carrying an emotional familiarity that formal public occasions do not always create. In this case, a hotel lobby performance gave a visiting head of government a moment of personal connection with a city hosting an international summit.

A Career Built Around Live Requests

Rehman’s professional journey as a pianist in Delhi began in 2004, when he started performing at the sixth-floor lounge of The Ashok Hotel. A year later, he shifted to the hotel lobby, where live music accompanied the everyday rhythms of guests, meetings and evening gatherings.

He left that role in 2011 and worked independently for several years. His freelance work included corporate programmes, private functions, solo performances and piano lessons for students. In 2014, he joined Le Meridien, where he has played nightly ever since, apart from Tuesdays.

His work expanded again in 2022, when he began performing during lunch hours at Kwality in Connaught Place. The restaurant, one of Delhi’s longstanding dining landmarks, provides a contrasting daytime setting for a musician who is also closely identified with hotel evenings.

Across these venues, Rehman has played before politicians, artists, athletes and international visitors. Among the people he has encountered are Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, former Union minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, tennis player Leander Paes, singer Lucky Ali and sitar exponent Ustad Shahid Parvez.

“Once Rahul Gandhi was at Kwality with his sister and requested Kisi ki muskurahaton pe ho nisar for her. Priyanka Gandhi also likes Raj Kapoor’s songs. I once played Jagjit Singh’s ghazals when he was sitting in the lobby at The Ashok Hotel…This is a job and I look at it like that but sometimes, I also meet patrons, who appreciate me, give me feedback, and I go back home satisfied,” Rehman said.

Music for Every Table

Playing in public spaces demands more than a prepared repertoire. Rehman’s performances shift with the mood of the room and the requests of diners and hotel guests. A Hindi film melody may be interrupted by Happy Birthday when restaurant staff carry a cake to a table. Children may ask for Lakdi ki kathi, while older listeners may prefer a Mohammed Rafi song or The Beatles’ Yesterday.

That flexibility is part of what makes a lobby or restaurant pianist distinct from a concert performer. The music is often intended as a gentle accompaniment, but it can instantly become central to a celebration, a memory or a spontaneous conversation between strangers. The meeting with Ibrahim was an especially visible example of that everyday craft.

A Family Tradition Continues

Rehman’s connection with music began at home. He grew up in a family of musicians, where vocal music and classical instruments were a regular presence. His father was a singer and played the dilruba, a bowed instrument related in appearance to the sitar. Rehman’s maternal grandfather, who taught his father, also played the instrument.

The family’s musical background extended further. Rehman’s paternal uncle played the sitar, as did his elder brother. For Rehman, the piano became the instrument through which that inherited musical environment found a place in Delhi’s hotels, restaurants and private events.

“I grew up surrounded by musicians. My father was a singer and played the dilruba, a bowed sitar-like instrument, so did my maternal grandfather, who was also his ustad. My father’s younger brother played the sitar, and so did my elder brother,” the pianist said.

The tradition is now moving into another generation. Rehman said his 10-year-old son has also started learning the piano, carrying forward a family relationship with music that has stretched from classical instruments to popular film songs and live public performance.

For Rehman, the encounter with the Malaysian prime minister was not simply a viral-media moment. It reflected the kind of surprise that can emerge from a career spent responding to a room, reading its audience and finding the right song at the right time.