AR Rahman made a much-anticipated return to Bengaluru after an eight-year absence, treating thousands of music lovers to a nearly three-hour concert at the KTPO Grounds in Whitefield on Saturday night.
The performance, held as part of ‘The Wonderment Tour’, marked the opening of Rahman’s 2026 India tour. Organised by Laughing Water Entertainment and Noise and Grains, the concert drew an enthusiastic response from the outset, with fans eager to see the acclaimed composer and singer perform live after a prolonged gap.
Rahman’s set drew heavily on his celebrated work in Tamil and Hindi cinema. Among the evening’s special moments was a Kannada rendition of a popular song from Roja, offering a direct connection with the local audience. The programme also included jugalbandi performances by members of Rahman’s musical ensemble, adding a distinctive dimension to the evening.
The composer was joined on stage by singers including Vijay Prakash, Jonita Gandhi, Rakshita Suresh, AR Ameen, Aditya RK, Hiral, Nitesh Aher and Raghav Kaushik. The instrumental line-up featured Ranjit Barot, Ashwin Srinivasan, Evelyn Soto, Neelanjana Ghosh, Rangapriya Shankaranarayanan, Haritha Raj and Aleif Hamdan, among others.
The atmosphere at the venue remained energetic throughout much of the performance. Powerful sound, large-scale visual displays and Rahman’s stage presence helped create a concert experience that encouraged audience participation. As familiar melodies filled the grounds, thousands of fans sang along. Many held up the lights on their mobile phones, producing a sea of lights across the venue as the music continued.
There were, however, a few imperfections during the show. According to the report, some performances featured minor lapses in pitch and rhythm. The use of pre-recorded tracks was also noticed in parts of the concert. A number of less familiar songs received a comparatively subdued response, suggesting that the audience was most engaged when Rahman returned to his widely recognised hits.
Even so, the overall enthusiasm for the composer remained undiminished.
Rahman also used the occasion to recall his longstanding connection with Bengaluru. Speaking to the audience in Kannada, he said he had first visited the city in 1987. He later remembered the strong local response to the music of the 1995 film Rangeela, an experience that left a lasting impression on him.
Rahman recalled that there had been doubts at the time about whether the music of Rangeela would achieve the success expected of it. Hearing the film’s songs being played at different locations across Bengaluru, however, gave him a sense that the music had reached listeners and was beginning to connect with a wider audience.
The concert featured a selection of songs spanning different stages of Rahman’s career. The setlist included ‘Fanaa’, ‘Muqabla Muqabla’, ‘Roobaroo’, ‘Roja’, ‘Munbe Vaa’, ‘Hosanna’, ‘Ae Ajnabi’, ‘Chinna Chinna Aasai’, ‘Khwaja Mere Khwaja’ and ‘Vande Mataram’. Several of these songs prompted some of the strongest audience reactions of the night, with fans joining the performers in singing along.
Rahman’s return also demonstrated the enduring appeal of his film music across languages and generations. His work has frequently brought together Indian classical influences, contemporary sounds and cinematic arrangements, allowing songs from different periods of his career to retain their appeal well beyond their original films.
After an eight-year gap, his Bengaluru appearance became more than a routine concert stop. The combination of familiar songs, a diverse ensemble of performers, local-language interaction and an enthusiastic audience created a strong sense of occasion.
For those gathered at the KTPO Grounds, the night offered a chance to revisit some of Rahman’s most recognisable music while experiencing it in a live setting. Despite a few technical and performance-related shortcomings, the sustained response from the crowd ensured that his return to Bengaluru ended on a distinctly celebratory note.
