Rumours have been flying thick and fast that the maiden India concert of Kanye West, who now goes by Ye, may be postponed due to the conflict in West Asia. The speculation gained momentum after Bahraini rapper Flipperachi cancelled his India tour that was scheduled to take place on March 14 and 15. However, sources in the organising team of West’s concert have dismissed the chatter.

A source from White Fox, the firm organising the event, told mid-day, “All operational timelines remain intact. We are in the final phase of execution, and ticket demand has been strong.” The source added that they are monitoring international developments as a precautionary measure.

British rock band Def Leppard, too, is expected to go ahead with its tour. An event executive associated with the show said, “International tours are always subject to global conditions, but as of now there is no change.”

Bahranian rapper Flipperachi, whose high-energy viral track FA9LA featured in director Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar (2025), is excited to watch the film nearly three months after its release. The delay wasn’t by choice as the film was banned across several Gulf countries, keeping him from seeing his own big-screen moment. Now, as he gears up for his India tour in March, the rapper says catching a screening of the film tops his itinerary.

“I look forward to watching Dhurandhar. It’s important for me to see how the song was placed in the film as a representation of the whole film,” he says, adding, “Watching it with an Indian audience would be a completely different experience. I’d love to feel that energy in the room.”

Further, the 37-year-old also expresses his desire to meet the makers of the film during his stay in India, and other Bollywood celebs. “I’ve grown up watching Indian films; Bollywood was always popular in Bahrain. There’s always been that deep connection between Bahrain and Indian culture,” says Flipperachi.

Speaking about the newfound fame in India, he shares, “It’s a great feeling. To see the music connect on this scale in India is special. I didn’t expect the magnitude of the response.”

After nearly 15 years of navigating auditions, actor Danish Pandor is basking in widespread recognition for his role as gangster Uzair Baloch in Dhurandhar (2025).

The 38-year-old credits the “overwhelming” appreciation in part to his co-stars Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna for fostering an inspiring atmosphere on set. “Ranveer is a rare actor who allows others to shine. His only focus is how to make a scene better. He comes to set completely in character. You get inspired watching him work,” he shares, adding, “Akshaye is a man of very few words. He sits quietly, observes everything, and when the camera rolls, he transforms. It taught me how much acting is about listening and absorbing; it’s an experience no acting school can give.”

The film has courted controversy by a section terming it a ‘propaganda film’ and has been banned in the Middle East. But Danish doesn’t let the criticism weigh him down: “Viewers are intelligent enough to decide what they want to take from it. If you keep focusing on the negative aspects, you won’t be able to move forward. You take what is good and move ahead with a pinch of salt.”

In an unpredictable industry, the actor is now focused on “proving himself again and again”. Recalling a particularly disheartening experience, he says, “The director loved my audition and a contract was sent over to me. Months passed as I waited for shooting to begin, when I realised the movie had been made with someone else. What do you do in that situation? You can’t fight it. You just move on.”

After actor Akshaye Khanna’s dance to Flipperachi’s track FA9LA from the movie went viral in India, the Bahraini rapper has announced a tour here. He posted on Instagram on Saturday night, “First India show date announced! We’re excited to be in Bengaluru on March 14 at @un40fam! More dates to be added soon. Which city should we stop in? Drop your city in the comments! (sic)”

The rapper, whose real name is Hussam Aseem, had earlier told HT City in an interview, “I’m overwhelmed and grateful for all the love FA9LA has been getting everywhere, but specifically in India. It’s another level when people vibe to your song at this scale. My team is working on multiple performance and collaboration projects. I’m very excited to perform live in India soon.”

Just when fans thought nothing could top the frenzy sparked by Bobby Deol’s Jamal Kudu moment in Animal , Akshaye Khanna walked in – dancing to FA9LA by Flipperachi. The swag, the villainous smile, the unbothered vibe he brings to the track make it clear – this moment belongs to the song.

Little wonder then that FA9LA, produced by DJ Outlaw, is everywhere right now. With 12,854,383 views on YouTube, over 2 billion views on TikTok across videos using the hashtag, and 14 million streams on Spotify till mid-December, it has quietly become one of India’s most consumed songs at the moment. And memes about Akshaye’s hotness quotient or what the singer is trying to say is a big topic on social media – though most fans would admit they don’t understand the lyrics at all.

Bahrain-based rapper Hussam Aseem, aka Flipperachi, tells us that the song was made as a Khaliji/Indian fusion and in Arabic so that a large audience can relate and vibe to it.

“In Bahrain, there is a big Indian community, so we always like to mix cultures with Khaleeji music. We wanted to do something that had tabla. The inspiration was from DJ Outlaw, and then we sat down wanting to make something catchy, and we started working on the chorus. We went ahead with FA9LA. FA9LA is a vibe you say that to the people, ‘I have a vibe’. We made the vibe about dances, everything was done around that, and then it took shape. Cultures can connect with each other through music, and this is living proof that an Arab can reach Bollywood and really curate something that’s trending,” he says.

Flipperachi adds that the song worked because it created a moment. “People have formulas to make a hit, but it is the process of making a scene, a moment – that’s what made people attracted to it and love the track. Akshaye’s moves are quite natural in the song. I’m thinking about redoing my dance (the dance he first did on TikTok when the song went viral) on Akshaye’s moves. Those are some boujee moves, and he went with it. I was told he asked if he could dance, and his entry was supposed to be villainous. The song has some villainous tunes, but it is actually a party song. When the team of Dhurandhar reached out to us, they wanted the track specifically for that scene. I thought people would not understand a word of the song, but it worked. I knew this song was great. We dropped it a year ago, but I didn’t know it would blow up like this in Bollywood,” says the rapper, who blended Arabic rap, hip-hop, and Khaleeji music with Indian influences for the song

When asked how the community in Bahrain reacted to this viral moment, he says, “One of my colleagues in India taught me this and it has the same meaning here – ghar ki murgi daal barabar. It’s like your art has to reach around the globe to be appreciated in your country. I experienced that first-hand.”

“Now everyone in Bahrain is like, ‘Oh, we have this song and this rapper!’ Friends who hadn’t spoken to me for years are reaching out. My mother has Indian and Moroccan staff, and they kept telling her your son is popular in Bollywood now. She asked me, ‘Why are you popular in Bollywood?’ That’s when I knew how far it had travelled. I don’t tell my family such things unless it is big. Sometimes I like watching how far something goes, and when it reaches your family, it’s fun to see.”

With the song continuing to trend, Flipperachi is now looking ahead. “We are in talks of coming to India soon. I would like to collaborate with someone like Badshah and a Punjabi artiste – something new and engaging for the community. I like Badshah, I love his vibe. I’m also looking forward to meeting Akshaye Khanna and probably doing a dance with him. I would love to speak to him,” he says.

Long before Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar turned it into a full-blown cultural moment in India, Bahrain-based rapper Hussam Aseem, aka Flipperachi, had already seen his track FA9LA go viral when it released in 2024. But nothing prepared him for what the song would become in India.

“The song went viral when it came out in 2024, especially in Sri Lanka, so I know that people find it easy to vibe with. But I wasn’t expecting it to blow up to this extent, especially given that it’s Arabic,” he says, adding, “DJ Outlaw’s production brought together Indian, Khaleeji and hip hop music in a powerful union, which helped me write and perform in a way that would resonate with anybody.”

The Arabic hip-hop banger plays over actor Akshaye Khanna’s moves, a moment that sparked an explosion of memes and reels. Watching the sequence for the first time, Flipperachi knew something had clicked.

“Akshaye is a legend, and it could not have worked out more perfectly. The scene was surreal,” he says. “One of my favourite moments was opening Instagram to see (actor) Ranveer Singh’s post with the scene and the song,” he adds.

Beyond the sudden fame, he recognises what this moment means for Khaleeji rap. “Moments like these open doors for entire genres to be introduced to new parts of the world, and I think this moment is a turning point in Arabic music,” he ends.