Ali Zafar, a Pakistani actor-singer, recently invited Indian poet-lyricist Javed Akhtar to a private event in Lahore, Pakistan. Akhtar was in Pakistan for the seventh Faiz Festival, which was held at the Alhamra Arts Council in Lahore.
A video of the jam session has gone viral, with Zafar singing Zindagi Aa Raha Hoon Main, a Bollywood song recorded by Kishore Kumar and written by Akhtar in 1984 for the film Mashaal.
The video, posted by Twitter user Haroun Rashid, shows Akhtar seated with a gathering of people while Zafar sings a wonderful song for the poet. The singer's performance of the song appears to have captivated the audience.
Rashid stated in his caption, "Such a rare pleasure and a privilege to have an evening of music and poetry with our brothers and sisters from across the border. The master Javed Akhtar Sahib in Lahore-it doesn't get better than this. "
Ali Zafar reshared the video with the caption, "It was a honour to host him. I've always believed that art and music transcend boundaries and is the best way to bring people together. Love is the ONLY way to peace. Thank you @Javedakhtarjadu sahab for gracing us with your presence. Thank you Faiz sahab for keeping us connected."
The video was posted on February 20 and has received over 4 lakh views on Twitter since then. As one user put it, "This is fantastic; if only Pakistan and India had a normal relationship, things like this could be so normal. If only Pakistan and India could be nice neighbours, as 99% of the world's neighbouring countries are."
"Wow, that is surely a masterpiece, and the way you sang it is beautiful mashallah," another person commented.
The Faiz Festival was a three-day event that took place from February 17 to February 19.