We interviewed one of India’s most acclaimed actors. And not only that, but he’s also a director, producer, lyricist, singer, and so many more things. If you couldn’t already guess who it is – it is none other than Farhan Akhtar. Dubai is all set to welcome Farhan Akhtar with open arms on the 1st of September at the Coca-Cola Arena stage. He will be performing in Dubai again since before the pandemic, so eager fans have been waiting a long time for this one. Just goes to show that patience can really pay off because, in our exclusive interview with Farhan Akhtar, he told us this will be a show like none he has ever performed in Dubai before. So, without any more delay, let’s jump into the interview between our very own Gulf Buzz founder and CEO – Dhruv Maniar and our extraordinary and talented guest – Farhan Akhtar.
Also read: Dubai: Farhan Akhtar To Perform Live At Coca-Cola Arena On 1st September
Jumping Straight Into What We All Want To Know
So, Dhruv kicks things off by hyping Farhan Akhtar up to talk about his September 1st show in Dubai. And it turns out Farhan has got a soft spot for live performances. When asked in the interview what he prefers out of all the numerous job roles he has done in the past, he said, “Performing live for an audience is what I like most”. And we couldn’t agree with him more.
Farhan is an international sensation with a fan base in countries everywhere, including America, the United Kingdom, and Canada, and he even told us he is in Europe right now. So, it comes as no surprise that he loves performing so much because it allows him to reach out and connect with his fans everywhere, just like how he is on his way to see us here in Dubai very soon in September.
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So, What’s Cooking For The Dubai Show?
I know we’re all buzzing about Farhan’s Dubai performance, so Dhruv got the scoop for us. Farhan went on by saying, “It’s going to be music from the last 20 years of my career. So films that I’ve been associated with as a writer, as an actor and even as a producer. So yeah, it’s a great walk down memory lane”. Most importantly, Farhan wants us to know that he expects everyone to wear their dancing shoes for his performance because he doesn’t plan to have us sit down for a long time.
When asked which songs he looks forward to performing the most, in a fascinating answer, Farhan said, “There’s a couple of new things that we haven’t performed in Dubai before that we will be performing. So probably those, I don’t want to like spell it out because I think the joy of everything that happens you know when you’re experiencing a concert” We can definitely say with confidence that this may be the biggest Bollywood concert to hit the Stage in Dubai all year. It’s going to be a spectacle you won’t want to miss.
Dubai Nostalgia
Switching gears, Dhruv gets Farhan talking about his first time in Dubai. Farhan mentions his first memories of the city were when he came down with his parents as a small child. He goes back to the mid-late ’80s and paints a picture of a different Dubai – lots of sand, white buildings, saying how it’s a total contrast from what it is now. But one thing that has stayed the same for him and everyone else is the dry heat he remembers experiencing back then too. Ah, I guess some things never change.
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Farhan goes on to praise Dubai by saying, “It’s an incredible city. It’s vibrant. It’s got such a beautiful multicultural population. You know, there’s great food. There are indoor activities, there are outdoor activities, there are great music concerts happening there all the time”. His admiration for Dubai is definitely something we expect to see highlighted in his upcoming show.
When In Dubai, You Can Never Forget About Golden Delights
So, Dhruv asked Farhan a very important question during this interview – if he has ever tried any of Dubai’s gold-obsessed food dishes. (To name a few, we have: Gold Kulfi, Gold Burrata, Gold Steak, 24 Karat Chicken and Vegan Chicken, and honestly, the list could go on forever). Sadly, Farhan says he has yet to try gold-based dishes in Dubai or anywhere else. He jokingly even said how he’s only reached silver. However, he is very open and excited to try and also can’t wait for all the health benefits that come along with it. We sensed some sarcasm in that last part, though, but we can’t blame him.
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Living That Tourist Life In Dubai
All work with no play wouldn’t be fun for anyone, so Dhruv asked Farhan what is the most touristy thing he has ever done while in Dubai. Farhan went on to tell us a charming story about how the most touristy thing he has ever done in Dubai was taking his two kids to the water park in Atlantis – aka Aquaventure. He recalls how they “spent an entire day in that water park filled with like some great laughter and great memories”. We loved hearing how much fun he had with his family here and how they will always cherish those memories in Dubai.
Also read: 5 Things You Can Do At Atlantis, The Palm In Dubai
Back To The Concert, Why Did Farhan Akhtar Choose The Coca-Cola Arena?
When asked by Dhruv why Dubai was being neglected till now, seeing as Farhan has been performing all over, he explained he “honestly didn’t want to come back [to Dubai] after such a long time and do a venue that was not like a pure musical venue”. He carried on by saying “I wanted to do a venue where it could be like a lot more people and we can have a lot more fun you know it’s kind of designed acoustically it’s not just some kind of a bar or someplace that we are playing where maybe you know at times the sound is not as an artist what you want it to be”.
Farhan explained how he and his band eagerly wanted something unique and amazing to be available, and that’s when the Coca-Cola arena came into the picture. Farhan even describes it as “one of the best venues in Dubai”. That’s an understatement considering the arena can fit up to 17K people. And we expect every single last one of those tickets to be sold out with the way Farhan is getting us excited for his show!
Game time: Rapid Fire Round
Dhruv and Farhan played a fun rapid fire game of India based questions where Farhan had to choose between ‘This Or That’
– This or that – ‘Zindagi na milgi dubara’ or ‘bhaag mil ka bhaag’?
This one stumped Farhan and he refused to choose between his own two movies because of how much he adores them. In the end we settled for a compromise and he chose both.
– This or that – ‘Mumbai’ or ‘Delhi’?
His exact words “Mumbai for sure” sorry to all our Delhiites out there.
– This or that – ‘Chole Bhature’ person or a ‘Pani Puri’ person?
And to his own surprise Farhan described himself as more of a Chole Bhature person.
– This or that – ‘solo traveling’ or ‘group traveling’?
Farhan said “Isn’t there a perfect time for either?” He believes that some destinations are meant for friends while others are meant for you to discover on your own and he would great love to encourage people to discover solo traveling more.
Last But Certainly Not Least – A special Message For His Fans In Dubai
After all the laughs, Dhruv wrapped up the interview by asking Farhan if he had anything to say for his fans here in Dubai before he finally came out and saw us on September 1st. He said, “Well, just to start with, I absolutely love all of you, and thank you so much for your years of support. Please come in groups and dance and let’s have an absolutely fantastic time.”
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We had an incredible time talking to the Man himself and we simply cannot wait to see what special performance Farhan Akhtar has in store for us.
Get Your Tickets Before It’s Too Late
Visit the official Coca-Cola Arena website to get your tickets for Farhan Akhtar’s performance on September 1st.
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