The Consulate General of India in Jeddah has invited Shibani Kashyap to perform as part of the Red Sea International Film Festival at the ‘India Night’ event to be held on 8th December. That is a matter of national pride for an Indian singer to perform on foreign soil! Celebrated singer-composer Shibani Kashyap will represent India at the 5th Red Sea International Film Festival (RSIFF), one of the fastest-rising and most prestigious cinematic platforms in the world.
She will be performing at the India Pavilion for the foreign delegates on the 8th of December, and then on 9th of December 2025, she would rock Jeddah with an exclusive command performance hosted by the Indian Embassy in Saudi Arabia for diplomats, global filmmakers, cultural dignitaries, and the Indian diaspora in Jeddah — a rare convergence of art, culture, and diplomacy.
“I am going to Saudi Arabia for the very first time in my life for performing some of my hit songs at this prestigious event. A selection of Bollywood songs and I’ll be paying a tribute to the classic film Umrao Jaan as it is being showcased this year. Rekha ji and the film’s visionary director Muzaffar Ali are also making an appearance at the festival,” revealed Shibani Kashyap ecstatically in an exclusive chat with Paresh B Mehta of Filmytown.com.
While this celebrated singer has performed at innumerable live concerts worldwide, but being officially invited by the Indian Consulate for performing in Saudi Arabia which would be a first for any Indian singer. This year, the Red Sea Film Festival turns the spotlight on India’s golden cinematic legacy with a special tribute to Muzaffar Ali’s timeless masterpiece Umrao Jaan (1981), presented in a breathtaking new 4K restoration under the festival’s acclaimed “Treasures” programme.
“I am enthusiastic to sing ‘Dil Cheez Kya Hai’ song in Rekhaji’s presence and am anxious about her reaction. I would also be singing quite a few of my songs like Sajna Aa Bhi Ja (Waisa Bhi Hota Hai II), Ho Gayi Hai Mohabbat Tumse, the energetic title track from the movie Zinda Hoon Main, the classic Aao Huzoor Tumko and Buhe Bariyan among others.
The centrepiece of her performance will be a heart-melting rendition of the immortal “Dil Cheez Kya Hai”, a song Shibani grew up revering and now has the rare privilege of singing before the very legend who made it unforgettable on screen.
Her entourage would be captured as a documentary on her live performances and other visits in Saudi by a photographer and a cinematographer and also would capture sightseeing places of Jeddah, the Red Sea and around. These videos would be uploaded on social media – https://www.instagram.com/shibanikashyap and on YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/shibanikashyap
Historic moments at Shibani’s performance in New Zealand
Just a few months ago during her performance in Auckland, New Zealand, Shibani had a surprise spectator – the Prime Minister of New Zealand Christopher Luxon who heartedly expressed his pleasure at her performance and expressed his admiration for Indian movies. “And he came up on the stage when I was singing Dama Damas Kalandar and he danced and then he got so happy that he said, you know what, Indian culture is the best. And then the Hob’ble PM mentioned that we also have the leader of the opposition sitting here, can we invite him also on the stage? I felt so proud of our Indian music being a catalyst of something very historic happening with the PM sharing the stage with Leader of the Opposition (New Zealand) Chris Hipkins during my performance,” Shibani mentioned that this event made it a global news.
Globe trotting with her live performances
Just a while before this, Shibani Kashyap was in Vietnam on being officially invited by the consulate to perform there. Then she performed in Bahrain, Australia, then having several shows at the India Day Parade in the US, and several shows in London too. What is interesting is that she has gained a huge fanbase in contries like Malaysia, Maldives, Dubai, Thailand and right upto Canada.
Being an empanelled artist of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) she has also been to Egypt to perform for India in Egypt and twice in Uzbekistan. She has been invited by UNESCO to perform at the closing ceremony of one of the biggest music festivals last year – Sharq Taronalari a major biennial international folk music festival held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan being the only Indian artist ever to perform in that festival.
“I therefore feel like I am a cultural ambassador of India where I take my culture to various countries through my music. I feel very proud of being an Indian artist
Responding to a question pertaining to her craft about what is her favourite genre of songs, Shibani expressed, “I am primarily a pop artist, pop singer so basically you can say that it is popular music. And I like to sort of incorporate elements of different genres like jazz, Sufi, folk in my music. Soulful, yeah, soulful songs, romantic songs is something that I love singing and of course Folk songs.”
About the craze of item songs these, days, she responds, “I feel some item songs are very good, they are little short-lived. But songs like Sajna Aa Bhi Ja have a very long life, because they are very soulful, very heart-wrenching.
A powerful medium such a music can do wonders in the world
My dream is to travel the world with my music, I want to collaborate with my favourite artists, sing more for Bollywood. There is so much to do in our Bollywood film industry. I wish to bring about a change through music if I can spread some peace, it can work, music works. Music can work miracles. It can heal too, music is a healer.”
Shibani wraps up stating, “I always like to come up with songs once in a while, which have a meaning,… a message, because I think music is a very powerful tool. Recently I had collaborated with Ricky Cage for a peace anthem. It was about world peace. And recently I had a song which celebrates being a woman. Music is so powerful that one can bring about a change in the society.”
