Malaysian PM Anwar strikes a chord at BRICS summit with Bollywood tunes

Leading attendees at his political rallies in song, or more recently during diplomatic meetings, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim loves a tune.Geopolitics and trade negotiations took a brief break for Bollywood diplomacy on Sept 12, as the Malaysian leader stole a moment between meetings to belt out two songs on the sidelines of the BRICS summit held at a New Delhi hotel.In a video posted on his social media accounts, Anwar can be seen sidling up to a pianist and belting out Kishore Kumar’s Khwab Ho Tum Ya Koi Haqeeqat (1965), a Hindi song loosely translated as “are you merely a beautiful dream or are you reality”.His vocal performance was greeted fondly by Indians on social media.Biswajit Roy said:” When world leaders come to India and sing along to the melodies, it truly feels like the world is singing in India’s tune!”India’s Economic Times called the vocal performance an unexpected musical bridge between Malaysia and India.Anwar then took to singing Dost Dost Na Raha (1964) by Mukesh, or “a friend is no longer a friend” in Hindi, with the pianist gamely playing along in accompaniment.Some comments left in Malay were less complimentary, with one saying that it could be Anwar’s “last song before the next General Election”.Anwar has been in a feud with his Deputy Prime Minister Zahid Hamidi, with the pair making apparent snipes at one another.At the closing of the UMNO General Assembly on Sept 12, Zahid, an ally of Anwar’s at the federal level but rival at recent state elections, pressured Anwar to dissolve Parliament for polls in Malaysia not due until early 2028.Human Resources Minister Ramanan Ramakrishnan, who was accompanying Anwar on the India trip, also posted the video on TikTok, with a caption “some songs hit different when you know the story”.“Time does not change anyone, time only shows who one’s true self is,” Ramanan wrote.Anwar had sung the same Mukesh song during a 2024 state visit to India, where he held talks with Indian corporate leaders.The Malaysian premier has shown a penchant for singing. In July he was seen singing My Way, made popular by Frank Sinatra, alongside Thai counterpart Anutin Charnvirakul on the saxaphone, during an official luncheon at Putrajaya.During his succesful campaign in Perak’s Tambun for the 2022 General Election, Anwar also frequently led audiences to an adapted chorus of Malaysian legend P. Ramlee’s Hoi Hoi Ya Hoi (1961), including a Malay line from the song “who likes bandits?” for his anti-corruption rallies.