Meet a Saudi national whose fame isn’t rooted in oil fields and fortunes but rather in a melodic prowess set to captivate the souls of Bollywood fans. Yes, all the melody fans, pay attention to Ahmed Al Maimani, the embodiment of a seamless fusion between the Arab and Indian realms. His repertoire boasts renditions of Bollywood gems like ‘Chand Sifarish,’ ‘Aankhon Mein Teri,’ ‘Ek Pal Ka Jeena,’ and more. In fact, the videos of his performances have become a recurrent spectacle on YouTube and social media, enchanting hearts, and compelling fans like us to indulge in the irresistible joy of crooning along to our cherished Hindi melodies.
Don’t believe us? Take a look at some of his videos before delving into the captivating narrative of his journey and beyond!
Ahmed Al Maimani, aka Ahmed Sultan, harbored a passion for Bollywood from his formative years. As per Khaleej Times, he devoured Hindi cinema via VHS cassettes, given that KSA (Kingdom of South Africa) lacked cinema theaters at the time. His admiration for Hindi cinema seamlessly translated into an affinity for its melodies. “You might not know how to speak the language well, but you can certainly sing songs in it," he quips. A young Ahmed from Al Khobar began singing along, and as he entered the workforce, he serenaded at office gatherings.
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Yet, it was at the Al Janadriyah festivals, an annual cultural and heritage extravaganza near Riyadh, that Ahmed’s narrative took a fascinating twist. Spotting a close friend managing the event on stage, who worked for the Indian embassy, Ahmed sought his attention in the crowd. “Finally I picked up a small stone and hurled it at him and he looked annoyed as to who had hit him. When he saw me, he broke into a smile. I told him at that time, I wanted to be on stage and sing a Hindi song." The friend introduced him to the music team, and after a sound check, Ahmed found himself on stage, serenading an audience of 3,000 people.
While Ahmed was no stranger to singing at office parties, this marked his debut on a grand public stage. “I sang ‘Aankhon Mein Teri,’ followed by ‘Chand Sifarish’ and the crowd cheered and supported me. I couldn’t believe myself but since I was enjoying myself, I could see they were enjoying themselves too," reminisces Ahmed.
Post the show, Ahmed became the focal point for press and event companies vying to collaborate with him. “Hindi and Urdu are languages spoken by my colleagues and staff of the company, and so, I perfected the language thanks to them," he notes.
Yet, this was just the beginning. Following the Al Janadriyah show, the embassy kept him in mind, extending an invitation for an upcoming event with a unique condition – he had to sing in Tamil. “I learned three lines in two months and went on stage to sing with KS Chitra madam onstage. The Saudi guy singing a Tamil song from a Malayalam movie became viral," he chuckles.
Soon, Ahmed found himself summoned to Dubai for a show with Sithara and Akbar, the emerging stars from Kerala, and these events began to dominate his life. “I took part in the Riyadh season and one month back in another event with 5,000 people."
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All this has earned Ahmed a substantial following on Instagram, and interestingly, his fans prefer him to sing in Hindi rather than Arabic. “But I want to blend both since lots of Arabic songs are remade in Hindi," he reveals, providing a tantalising peek into a life and musical journey as riveting as a Hindi blockbuster!
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