You saw Malaysian PM sing in Hindi. The Delhi pianist shares the backstory

His elder brother was a sitar player. His father played the dilruba (a string instrument). His maternal uncle was a celebrated sitarist. His maternal grandfather was associated with the Song and Drama Division. Music surrounded Mujeeb ur Rehman as he was growing up, but largely in its traditional form.

Rehman, however, chose a different path (but not quite).

The Delhi-based musician picked up the piano, a Western instrument that did not quite fit into the musical tradition he had grown up around. His family was not particularly amused by the choice, and his father discouraged him from pursuing it.

More than two decades later, that choice put Rehman at the centre of a viral moment involving Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during the BRICS Summit 2026. Guru mintak izin nyanyi kejap ok! pic.twitter.com/NzazFHV509— Anwar Ibrahim (@anwaribrahim) September 12, 2026

On September 12, Rehman was playing at the Le Meridien hotel in Delhi when Ibrahim, who was in the capital for the summit, walked past the lobby. Rehman had been informed in advance by the hotel management that the Malaysian PM might come by and that he was fond of Hindi songs.

Rehman usually begins playing at the hotel around 5 or 5:30 pm. But during the three days of the summit, he arrived much earlier, around 4 or 4:15 pm, because he had no way of knowing when Ibrahim might appear.

“I had done a little homework,” he recalled in an interview with India Today Digital at the Kwality Restaurant in Delhi's Connaught Place, where he plays every afternoon from 1 to 3 pm. Delhi-based pianist Mujeeb ur Rehman at Kwality Restaurant. (Photo: Author)

Rehman learnt that Ibrahim liked Hindi songs, including Dost Dost Na Raha. So when he spotted the Malaysian leader approaching the hotel lobby on Saturday evening, he quickly moved to the piano, opened it and began playing the song - slightly louder than usual, hoping it would catch Ibrahim's attention.

Ibrahim stopped, smiled and began singing along. For Rehman, the moment was the culmination of hours of anticipation, presence of mind and a bit of nervousness.

“I was praying inwardly that, when the PM came, he would ask for a song that I knew and not something that I didn’t know. There was some pressure on me,” he said.

After singing along to Dost Dost Na Raha, Ibrahim requested another song: Khwab Ho Tum Ya Koi Haqeeqat.

“I said, ‘Yes, of course.’ I thanked God that I knew the song,” Rehman recalled.

The Prime Minister then sang along as Rehman continued playing the piano. A video of the encounter, later shared by Ibrahim, spread rapidly online.

“I was hoping that I would request the team at the hotel to send me the video, but by the time I reached home, it had already been posted online and was everywhere. My family had already seen it," he shared.

Rehman was struck by how clearly and confidently the Malaysian leader sang the Hindi words. He also remembered Ibrahim as humble and gracious. Pianist Mujeeb ur Rehman with Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim.

But the viral encounter was only the latest chapter in a musical journey that began with a decision his family did not initially understand.

When Rehman started learning the piano, he assumed that playing the instrument professionally meant performing Western and English music. Hindi film music, he said, was not something he initially imagined himself playing on the piano. He nevertheless continued playing it, partly to keep his father satisfied.

That ability to play both Western and Hindi songs eventually helped him land a job at The Ashok in 2004, marking the beginning of his professional career. Getting that first opportunity, however, required persistence. Rehman made several trips to the hotel, repeatedly enquiring about openings until he finally got a chance to audition, and cracked it.

Since then, his career has taken an unconventional route, moving through hotel performances, freelance work, private shows and auditions. Currently, he plays at the famous Kwality restaurant (lunch time) and Le Meridien (dinner time).

“Life has been kind to me,” he said, acknowledging that not all his peers in the industry were able to sustain their careers. “So many have had to completely change their occupation.”

Even after years of playing professionally, Rehman says he sometimes feels that he knows very little compared with the vast universe of music.

Perhaps that humility explains something about the Anwar Ibrahim encounter.

There was no elaborate stage, no planned performance and no certainty that the Malaysian leader would even stop. There was simply a pianist who had been told to be ready, arrived early, remembered the right song and happened to be at the piano when the moment came.

For Rehman, the pressure was not just whether Anwar Ibrahim would stop. It was whether, if he did, he would ask for a song Rehman knew. Fortunately, he did.- EndsPublished By: Medha ChawlaPublished On: Sep 17, 2026 07:46 IST