One of India's pioneering stand-up comics Zakir Khan will be making his debut at the Royal Albert Hall later this year. He is the first Indian comic to take centre stage at the iconic venue in London. Zakir's performance is scheduled to take place on October 8 this year. The announcement of his performance at RAH comes a few days after he announced his performance at Madison Square Garden in New York, in March 2024.
Inaugurated in 1871 by Queen Victoria in memory of her late husband Prince Albert, the hall is one of the UK's premier concert venues. Over the years, artists like Lata Mangeshkar, Gurdas Maan, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, A R Rahman, Pandit Ravi Shakar, Gulam Ali, Zakir Hussain, and Shiamak Davar have performed in the hall.
Zakir, who is also one of the few comedians to do his stand-ups entirely in Hindi, has attracted audiences from across the world. His performances at Soho Theatre in London, Dubai Opera, and The Beacon Theatre in New York have received house full reception. His recent world tour to support his TV show Tathastu sold over one lakh tickets. The comic travelled to the USA, Singapore, Canada, Dubai, and Australia for his performances. Zakir will also be touring Singapore, the USA, New Zealand, and Australia for the next few months with some of his new shows.
Expressing his excitement the comic said that his introduction to the Royal Albert Hall ensued through his listening sessions of Ghulam Ali and Lata Mangeshkar. He said he would purchase cassettes of their live performances at the prestigious venue. However, it was in 2015, he stumbled upon a video of Adele’s live performance at the Royal Albert Hall and which left him mesmerised.
“This is a blessing for creative talents like myself who have always envisioned taking India to the world in a truly state-of-the-art fashion. I am truly grateful and elated with this opportunity and it almost feels surreal that my global touring repertoire comes to a full circle. With the grace of God and the love of my audiences, I am able to bring to life the long-standing vision I had for my artistry. This is one of the biggest shows of my life. I don't know how many people will turn up for the showcase but to every attendee who will be a part of this momentous occasion in my life, I’d like to say that this will be a very special moment for me and I’m happy that you are an intrinsic part of it,” says the comic.
Zakir will be performing at prestigious venues such as Sydney Opera and Palais Theatre in Australia later this year.
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