A night full of smiles, sing-alongs and stories in every song

Anuv Jain casts an emotional spell at Repertwahr; audiences swayed shoulder to shoulder as the singer moved into fan favourites ‘Gul and Husn’

LUCKNOW Singer-songwriter Anuv Jain emerged as the defining highlight of Day 2 of Repertwahr Festival Season 13, turning the venue, Janeshwar Mishra Park, on Friday into a glowing, chorus-filled arena of shared emotion and music. Though the show started a bit late, but fans, mostly Gen-Z, waited with bated breath for the singer.

Singer-songwriter Anuv Jain performs at Janeshwar Mishra Park in Lucknow. (Mushtaq Ali/HT Photo)

Jain was greeted by thousands of fans, many holding up phone torches as he began. The opening notes of ‘Baarishein’ instantly drew the crowd into a sing-along, with voices rising in near-perfect unison with his gentle vocals pervading the open-air venue. The audiences swayed shoulder to shoulder as the singer moved into fan favourites ‘Gul and Husn’.

Midway through the set, Jain slowed the tempo with ‘Inam’; for several minutes, the crowd stood still, wrapped in silence and emotion, before erupting into applause at the song’s conclusion. Between tracks, Jain’s easy smile, soft-spoken anecdotes and repeated expressions of gratitude made the vast space feel personal — more like a living-room jam session than a large-scale festival performance.

Fans, many of them young listeners who have grown up with Jain’s music, stayed glued to every note, singing along word for word. His ability to turn simple melodies and heartfelt lyrics into moments of collective vulnerability proved why his music resonates so deeply across generations.

While theatre, poetry, comedy and folk music continued across other stages, it was Anuv Jain’s performance that truly defined the evening, leaving audiences visibly moved and yearning for more after the final note faded.

Repertwahr Festival continues at Janeshwar Mishra Park with more performances across music, theatre and literature in the coming days.