Arijit Singh apologized to Mahira Khan for not spotting her earlier in the audience as he sang “Zaalima” and gave her a special shout-out! Here’s how our superstar reacted…

Among the many who realized their dreams of singing along with the most soulful singer of our time, Arijit Singh, this past weekend, guess who else was in the front row of the concert audience in Dubai? Our very own star, Mahira Khan. What’s even more precious is that she was seen singing along to her heart’s content to her very own song, “Zalima,” the song she performed in her Bollywood starrer “Raees” opposite none other than King Khan himself, Shahrukh Khan.
“I wasn’t meant to be here for this.. but.. I guess I was. You know what I mean? What a pleasure it is to watch an artist perform.. whirling in joy, surrounded by love. “But more than that, it’s beautiful when you see humility in an artist.. because he knows, it isn’t him.. he’s just been blessed from up above. Stay blessed @arijitsingh Wah!” she captioned the clip.
Arijit, known for hits such as Tum Hi Ho, Raabta, Kabira, and Chaleya, performed live at Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena on Sunday.
Arijit Singh Gives A Special Shoutout To Mahira Khan As He Sings Zaalima!
The video that has gone viral, captures Arijit Singh addressing the audience with genuine surprise when he noticed Mahira among the audience. He apologized to her for not recognizing her earlier during the show. While performing the song “Zaalima” from Mahira’s 2017 Bollywood debut “Raees,” he then gave a special shout-out to Mahira.
“You guys must be surprised, should I reveal? I should reveal it in a nice way. Can we have the camera there? I was trying to recognise this person, then remembered, I had sung for her. Ladies and gentlemen, Mahira Khan is sitting right in front of you,” Arijit said. “I am so sorry, I didn’t want to disturb you but i can’t resist. People should know, they are supposed to know you are here.”
“Think about it, I was singing her song ‘Zaalima’ and it’s her song and she was singing and standing and I couldn’t recognise her. I am so sorry. Ma’am gratitude and thank you so much,” he added.
In the song “Zaalima,” Arijit lent his playback voice for the protagonist Shah Rukh Khan in the movie “Raees,” while Harshdeep Kaur provided vocals for Mahira’s character. The composition of the song was done by Pritam, with lyrics penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya.
Mahira Beamed With Joy Yet Remains As Humble As Ever!
Mahira responded with a beaming joy followed by a shy smile! Mahira, supremely gracious and humble as always, acknowledged the renowned musician’s gesture with a warm smile, further evoking love and admiration from her fans across borders. However, she was evidently moved by the interaction, as she later took to Instagram to share a reel highlighting the events of the night.
Many fans are appreciating and applauding this as the true representation of Indo-Pak relationships, while some celebrate Mahira Khan as our true superstar. Her admirers say this was the sweetest moment of the entire concert – just two humble artists recognizing each other in the most endearing way.
Arijit is also being praised by his Pakistani fans for another reason—he paid tribute to Pakistani legend, the late Mehdi Hassan. This has led to a heartening view of Indians and Pakistanis being united in spirit yet divided by political animosity.
