As Zakir Khan’s father closes his last show with sitar playing, the internet goes crazy
Comedian Zakir Khan’s final Mumbai show on Papa Yaar Tour ended with the surprise appearance of his father Ustad Ismail Khan on stage. The Father’s Day moment echoed the show’s father-son theme and drew an emotional response from fans.
Comedian Zakir Khan’s final show in Mumbai before the indefinite break ended with a surprise appearance by his father, kicking off his city leg. Papa friend Journey on an emotional note. The moment unfolded at the SVP Dome stadium, where Zakir’s father, sitarist Ustad Ismail Khan came on stage moments before he ended the show with his sitar performance.
Visuals from the event, which have since gone viral, show an emotional Zakir hugging his father on stage. Their embrace during their last performance in Mumbai before stepping away from the tour to focus on their mental and physical health brought loud cheers and applause from the packed venue.
❮❯
This surprise appearance took on even greater significance as it came during Father’s Day celebrations, which coincided with the show’s central theme. Fans on social media described it as the “perfect Father’s Day moment”, with many saying that there couldn’t have been a better ending to the performance dedicated to the often unspoken bond that fathers and their children share.
Reacting to the extremely personal father-son moment on stage, fans shared the clip with an emotional caption. A fan shared the video of Ismail’s performance on his Instagram handle and wrote, “Nothing more emotional than Zakir’s father playing the sitar in his last show on Father’s Day.”
One Instagram user wrote, “love…hug dad (Love…hugging my father) (sic).” The video of Zakir and Ismail hugging each other was shared in an Instagram story, as the caption read, “Khan Saheb and his son (Khan Saab and his son) (sic).”
Another Instagram user wrote, “Thank you Zakir Khan for introducing the man behind all the stories.” In a clip from the show where Zakir played an old video of his father, a fan wrote, “Zakir Khan is living.” Papa says The moment every son dreams of.”
Sharing the classical musician’s surprise appearance, a user wrote, “The biggest show today was not done by Zakir Khan himself…(sic).”
Papa friend Zakir is a deeply personal set piece, focusing on father-son relationships, everyday family moments and stories that resonate with audiences, especially in Indian homes. Throughout the tour, he ended each performance by playing a decade-old interview clip of his father, a segment that often left the audience emotional.
During one of his performances in Hyderabad recently Papa Yaar TourThe comedian had shared that he plans to reduce live shows and stay away from touring for three to five years – possibly until 2030.