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

Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim shared on his X account the clip of him singing along as Rehman played the Hindi song on his piano

On September 12, the pianist who plays in the lobby of Delhi's Le Meridien hotel was told by the management that a special guest who enjoys Hindi songs - Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim - might stop by. Ibrahim was in the Capital for the BRICS summit and the heads up gave 45-year-old Mujeeb ur Rehman just enough time to prepare for the Malaysian PM’s favourite Hindi songs.

The pianist, Mujeeb ur Rehman, said that after the video of him playing piano as Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim sang along went viral, people have started recognising him.

A simple search on Google told Rehman that Ibrahim particularly enjoyed two Hindi melodies — Dost dost na raha, a sombre number by Mukesh in the 1964 Raj Kapoor film Sangam, and Khwab ho tum ya koi haqeeqat, a romantic ballad by Kishore Kumar in the 1965 Dev Anand starrer Teen Deviyan.

Later that evening, as soon as Rehman saw the Malaysian PM in the hotel lobby, he started playing Dost dost na raha on his piano – his own way of welcoming the foreign leader to Delhi.

“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,” said Rehman as he recalled the moment.

“After that video, people have started recognising me,” said Rehman on Monday.

Over two decades of playing piano, entertaining dignitaries

It was in 2004 that Rehman first began playing piano at the sixth floor lounge at The Ashok Hotel in Delhi before moving to the lobby of the same hotel a year later.

He quit in 2011 and began freelancing – corporate gigs, private parties, tuitions for aspiring pianists, and solo shows.

In 2014, he joined Le Meridien, where he continues to play every night, except Tuesdays. In 2022, he picked up the lunch shift at the iconic Kwality restaurant in Connaught Place.

In all these years, Rehman has met many politicians, actors, musicians and foreign dignitaries across lobbies and restaurants, including Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi, Sushil Kumar Shinde, tennis player Leander Paes, singer Lucky Ali, and sitar maestro Ustad Shahid Parvez, among others.

Mujeeb ur Rehman with fashion designer Manish Malhotra (L) and Sitar maestro Ustad Shahid Parvez (R).

“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.

Mujeeb ur Rehman with Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi

His deft yet delicate hand on the keys has been the background score to many meals across hotel lobbies and restaurants. In the middle of a Hindi song, he shifts to “Happy Birthday” the moment he sees a cake being ferried to a table by the staff; demands of children and the elderly are quickly met –from Lakdi ki kathi to a Mohammed Rafi number; sometimes, an old patron’s request for The Beatles’ ‘Yesterday’ is also met.

“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.

To carry forward the legacy, Rehman said that his 10-year-old son has also picked up the piano.

“Music is in our blood,” he said.