Bahar-E-Urdu Day 1 Opens to a Full House as Javed Akhtar, Sachin Pilgaonkar, Shekhar Suman & Ali Asgar Set the Mood

Bahar-e-Urdu: Celebrating 50 Years of Maharashtra Urdu Sahitya Academy

The grand celebration of Bahar-e-Urdu opened to a packed audience at Dome SVP Stadium, Worli, as Urdu’s timeless magic came alive through poetry, wit, and music.

The evening began with a Qaumi Yakjehti Geet by Farkhanda and the Kohinoor Music Academy, followed by Mujeeb Khan’s evocative Urdu theatrical presentation Ishq Jale To Jale Aisa on the verses of Sahir Ludhianvi.

A star-studded Mushaira featuring Rajesh Reddy, Obaid Azam Azmi, Shakeel Azmi, Mehshar Afridi, Qamar Siddiqui, and Shikha Awdhesh transported the audience into the lyrical world of Urdu poetry.

Renowned humourist Surender Sharma had the crowd in splits with his signature wit, while a thought-provoking panel on “Filmon Mein Urdu” featuring Sachin Pilgaonkar, Rumy Jafry, and Syed Qadri, moderated by Shekhar Suman, explored the language’s poetic influence on Indian cinema.

A lively interactive session with Javed Akhtar and Rumy Jafry drew thunderous applause, highlighting the enduring resonance of Urdu in Indian storytelling.

The show, hosted with charisma and humour by Shekhar Suman and Ali Asgar, concluded with the national anthem.

As the first day came to a close, Bahar-e-Urdu reaffirmed that Urdu is not just a language—it is an emotion that unites hearts, transcending generations.