22 March,2026 10:40 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Rishab’s expansive setlist bridged classical depth with contemporary familiarity, featuring original compositions. Photo Courtesy: File pic
Following a phenomenal opening in Bengaluru, leading sitarist and classical musician Rishab Rikhiram Sharma delivered a mesmerising performance in Mumbai, at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse.
Captivating an audience of over 20,000 people, the evening marking the Mumbai leg of the Sitar for Mental Health India Tour 2026, saw the likes of celebrities such as Mika Singh, Raj Shamani, Tara Sutaria, Mrunal Thakur, Deepika Padukone, Anju Bhavnani, Ritika Bhavnani, Jasleen Royal, Samay Raina, Kumar Mangalam Birla, Nikhil Kamath, Gauri Khan, Maheep Kapoor, Soha Ali Khan, Sayani Gupta, Bhavna Pandey amongst others.
The concert opened with a calming guided breathing exercise led by Rishab, accompanied by the gentle hum of the tanpura, inviting the audience into a deeply reflective and mindful space. He then performed a rich repertoire of ragas including Bihaag and Kedar, Tilak Kamod and Shyam Kalyan, seamlessly weaving them into the evocative Raag Tilak Shyam.
On stage, Rishab spoke about how this was his sixth concert in the city, and even reminisced how his first show in the city was held in a basement for just 100 people in the suburbs, and now feels surreal to perform in front of thousands of attendees. In middle of the show, he even stepped into the crowd, making sure everyone felt included and part of the experience.
A defining highlight of the night was the Mumbai unveiling of âSITARA - The Next-Generation Electric Sitar', India's first LED sitar, developed in collaboration with his father, master luthier Sanjay Sharma of the renowned Rikhi Ram lineage.
Rishab's expansive setlist bridged classical depth with contemporary familiarity, featuring original compositions like Shankara, Shiv Kailash, Burning Ghat and Roslyn, alongside dynamic sitar interpretations of popular pieces such as Harry Potter x Game of Thrones, Kal Ho Naa Ho, Zara Zara, and Tumhi Dekho Naa, as well as his Himachali folk single Belua.
The concert concluded with powerful renditions of Chanakya, Kautilya and Tandavam - his interpretation of the Shiv Tandav Stotram earning a thunderous standing ovation from the crowd. He also sampled a new song Venkateswara as an ode to Lord Krishna.
Blending spirituality with innovation, Rishab also saw him be very fashion-forward stage presence was elevated by his UV mehendi art curated by Shantanu Hazarika and a custom embellished ensemble by Shantanu & Nikhil, inspired by Michael Jackson's military jacket style.
The 10-city tour, produced by Team Innovation and District by Zomato, continues its journey across India with upcoming shows in Pune this weekend, followed by Hyderabad, Jaipur, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Chandigarh, Kolkata, before culminating in New Delhi in April.
