Political summits are usually filled with formal speeches and serious discussion. But at the BRICS summit dinner in New Delhi, India, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim added a different flavour to the evening. Singing a popular Hindi song by Kishore Kumar, he charmed the guests in attendance. Video of his performance has since spread across social media.
At the dinner, hosted at the invitation of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Anwar Ibrahim performed the popular 1965 song “Khwab Ho Tum Ya Koi Haqeeqat.” The song, from the film “Teen Deviyan,” was composed by S D Burman with lyrics by Majrooh Sultanpuri. Anwar Ibrahim sang along with a pianist. His performance drew a strong response from guests at a dinner otherwise dominated by discussions of diplomacy and international politics.
Anwar Ibrahim later shared a video of the performance on his own social media, captioning it: “Guru, can I sing a little?” The post drew a wave of comments online.
One commenter called Anwar Ibrahim’s voice “melodious.” Another wrote to him: “You sang very well. Hope you’re having a great time in India.”
Another commenter, an Indian expatriate, said they hadn’t known the Malaysian prime minister could sing so well, adding that they enjoyed his performance.
This was not the first time Anwar Ibrahim has shown his fondness for Indian music and film. He has previously spoken about his love for Indian cinema and music, and has sung this same Kishore Kumar song during an earlier visit to India. At an event in Delhi in 2024, he also performed Mukesh’s popular song “Dost Dost Na Raha.”
Anwar Ibrahim has also shown interest in South Indian cinema. In an earlier bilateral meeting, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had noted Anwar’s fondness for legendary Indian film actor M G Ramachandran (MGR) and old Tamil songs.
Malaysia took part in this year’s summit as a BRICS partner country. The summit featured discussions on various global issues, economic relations and trade. In a bilateral meeting between India and Malaysia, the two sides also discussed expanding cooperation in areas including digital technology and tourism.