By Mukesh Sharma
Doha, Oct 24 (IANS): It seems FIFA World Cup host Qatar wants the run up to the first biggest celebration of the beautiful game in the Middle East to be a melodious affair. After releasing a World Cup song with Indian siren Nora Fatehi rendering Hindi lines, organisers have announced to hold a musical soiree with popular Bollywood performers.
Some of Asia's biggest stars will perform at the Bollywood Music Festival, which will be held at Lusail Stadium in Qatar on November 4.
The 80,000-capacity stadium where the final of the World Cup will be played on December 18, will host Sunidhi Chauhan, an immensely popular voice among youth during the last two decades in Hindi playback singing.
Chauhan, who has rendered multiple superhit songs, is also a popular face on Indian general entertainment television having been a judge on reality TV shows.
Legendary Qawwali exponent Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and composer duo Salim-Sulaiman will also perform. Pakistani icon Rahat has straddled the worlds of Hindustani classical music and Hindi film music with equal ease and enjoys huge fan following among music connoisseurs across all South Asian nations.
Salim-Sulaiman, the popular sobriquet for brothers Salim and Sulaiman Merchant, have composed music for many big-budget Hindi movies featuring the industry's top stars including Shah Rukh Khan.
Indians are the largest expat group in Qatar and have a major role to play in the socio-economic life of the country of 2.8 million.
In order to support tournament preparations, everyone who attends the Bollywood Music Festival will need to be a FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 ticket holder with an approved Hayya Card.
International Hayya Card holders will be permitted to enter Qatar from November 1.
The Hayya Card is mandatory for FIFA World Cup ticket holders. It will act as an entry permit for international fans travelling to Qatar. It will also provide free public transport during the World Cup and offer access to stadiums for fans with a valid match ticket.
Tickets for the Bollywood soiree are available online and have been priced at QAR 200, QAR 150, QAR 80 and QAR 40. The main show will begin at 7 p.m.
At 4 p.m. when the gates open, the pre-show entertainment will take place featuring DJs, comedians and other performers.