Dubai is set to host the two-day Urdu literary fest Jashn-e-Rekhta, featuring celebrities from Pakistan and India, Khaleej Times reported.

The cultural extravaganza will be held on January 27 and 28 where luminaries from the Urdu literary world will present poetry, talk shows, ghazals, and storytelling.

The festival will kick off at Zabeel Park on January 27 with a panel discussion titled ‘Urdu Tehzeeb aur Rishton ki Lazzat Ki Lazzat’ featuring Bollywood lyricist and poet Javed Akhtar and Pakistani human rights activist Arfa Sayeda Zehra. The discussion will be moderated by Adeel Hashmi.

It will be followed by ‘Dozakh’, a stage rendition of Ismat Chughtai’s Urdu play and then a Sufi concert, ‘Naghmo’n ki Maseehaii’ by Ustad Shafqat Ali Khan.

The portrayal of legendary singer Noor Jehan, ‘Raqs-e-Naa Tammam’ will be presented by Shinjini Kulkarni, Danish Iqbal, and their troupe later that evening.

A session of Sufi music ‘Shab-e Rafta’ is also scheduled as the last event of the first day.

Pakistan’s film industry’s iconic couple, Sameena Peerzada and Usmaan Peerzada, who have been married for 48 years, will share their journey through numerous challenges in a talk show in the first session of the second and last day.

It will be followed by ‘Kahaani se Kirdaar Tak’ - an interactive session featuring Pakistani actress Mahira Khan and veteran Indian actress Shabana Azmi, in conversation with the renowned Indian filmmaker and actor Shekhar Kapur.

The third event of the final day will feature ‘Main Koi Aisa Geet Gaau’n’ a project bringing together poetry, songs, narration, and music, featuring Javed Akhtar, Meiyang Chang, and Jahnvi Shrimankar with a live band.

The literary fest will be wrapped up with a grand international mushaira titled ‘Gehan aur Dhoop’ featuring renewed poets such as Anwar Shaoor, Farhat Ehsad, Zehra Nigah, Shakeel Azmi, Abbas Tabish, among others.

It is pertinent to mention that the fest was initially scheduled at the same venue in February 2019, however it faced an unexpected last-minute cancellation.

Dubai is presently witnessing an Urdu Renaissance, hosting more mushairas than any other place on the globe.

As much as 15,000 visitors are expected including those from India and Pakistan. Tickets, including the Zabeel Park entry fee, are priced at Dh75 and can be purchased on Platinum list.