Diljit Dosanjh reveals Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan qawwali left him crying before Milan show

Diljit Dosanjh recalled breaking down in tears while listening to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s qawwali before his Milan performance, describing the lyrics as deeply moving.

WEBDESK – MEDIABITES

Indian Punjabi singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh has revealed that listening to a qawwali by legendary Pakistani singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan left him in tears shortly before one of his recent performances.

During a recent Instagram Live session, Dosanjh opened up about an intensely personal moment that occurred before his show in Milan, Italy.

The singer said he was preparing for the performance and doing yoga when he began listening to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s qawwali “Mann Atkeya Beparwah De Naal.”

According to Dosanjh, the emotional impact came when he heard the lines, “Qazi mulla mitti dende, khare sayane raah dasinde.”

The lyrics affected him so deeply that he stopped what he was doing, sat down on his yoga mat and began crying.

Dosanjh said he did not initially understand how profoundly the words had affected him. He described the experience as an emotional release and said he continued crying for around five to 10 minutes before eventually beginning his yoga session.

The singer reflected on the enduring power of Nusrat’s poetry and music, saying that some verses stay with a person long after the music has ended.

For Dosanjh, the experience was another reminder of the extraordinary emotional reach of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s work, whose music continues to resonate with audiences across generations and borders.

This is not the first time Dosanjh has paid tribute to the Pakistani qawwali legend.

On September 12, during his major concert at London’s Wembley Stadium, Dosanjh performed “Saanson Ki Mala,” a celebrated piece associated with Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

The performance took place before a reported crowd of around 90,000 people and marked a significant moment in Dosanjh’s international career, as he became the first Punjabi artist to headline a concert at Wembley Stadium.

Dosanjh has previously expressed humility about performing music associated with Nusrat, saying he does not consider himself a singer of sufficient stature to do full justice to the legendary qawwal’s music.

His latest comments offer another glimpse into the personal connection he feels with Nusrat’s work — not simply as music to perform, but as poetry capable of triggering deeply personal emotions.

For an artist preparing to step onto a major international stage, the moment on a yoga mat in Milan was strikingly private: Nusrat’s voice, a few powerful lines of poetry and an emotional response that Dosanjh said brought him to tears.