HTKGAF 2018: KK brings romance to ‘aamchi Mumbai’, audience sings along

The Mumbai applause reached a crescendo when KK began singing his runaway hit, ‘Yaaron’

High-energy guitar riffs and KK crooning his chartbuster ‘Kya mujhe pyaar hai’ kicked off a power-packed performance presented by Zee on Sunday, the final day of the Hindustan Times Kala Ghoda Arts Festival.

KK performs at the Asiatic Library steps on Sunday. (Pratik Chorge/HT)

“It’s an honour to be on this stage. It’s my first time here and my favourite audience is this one — in aamchi Mumbai,” said the popular singer, standing in front a crowd of hundreds gathered at the Asiatic Library steps, some of whom had been waiting since afternoon.

Under the jet black sky, he wooed the audience with mellifluous renditions of romantic numbers like ‘Dil ibadat kar raha hai’, ‘Labon ko’, ‘Tu hi meri shab hai’ and ‘Tujhko jo paaya toh jeena aaya’.

“I’m a die-hard romantic. All I can see around me are imaginary hearts,” he blushed. He also crooned the hit song ‘Aankhon mein teri’, and invited the women in the audience to sing the hook. “It’s rare for so many girls to sing this song for me. I’ll fulfil my wish here,” he added, laughing.

Reminiscing about seeing photographs of Billy Joel at that studio, he also hummed a few lines from his song, ‘Honesty’ and thrilled the crowds.

The applause reached a crescendo when KK began singing his runaway hit, ‘Yaaron’.

Through the performance, the audience, comprising fans from all age groups, cheered him on, waved their hands in the air and even joined in with each chorus.

Singer Akriti Kakkar, who had performed an hour earlier, was present in the audience, and couldn’t resist and dancing as KK belted out ‘Tu ne maari entriyaan’.

Premal Mandavia, 31, a PR executive from Marine Lines, was dancing through the performance, in his treasured front-row spot. “I loved his energy and the way he connected with the audience,” he said.

“KK is one of my favourite singers,” added Vibha Saxena, 64, a homemaker from Kandivli. “He does a marvellous job with the high notes. It was a treat to watch him live.”