iWorld
Sonu Nigam hits high note with 3-hour Satrangi Re
MUMBAI: When fans asked for an encore, Sonu Nigam turned the volume up instead. After a roaring Mumbai debut that pulled in more than 13,000 people, the Padma Shri singer has extended all shows of his Satrangi Re India Tour to a full three hours, starting with Hyderabad on 29 November at The League Arena.
The original 2.5-hour format could not accommodate several audience favourites, prompting an immediate rethink after opening night. Sonu Nigam said, “The original 2.5-hour set could not include a lot of my loved tracks such as ‘Kill Dil’, ‘Sapna Jahan’ and ‘Main Hoon Na’, among others. Hence, right after the Mumbai show, we decided to extend my performance by 30 minutes for the rest of the concerts to give audiences a musical experience to its full potential. Let the entire canvas be splashed with all colours possible in Satrangi Re.”
NR Talent and Event Management organiser and co-founder Rabbani Mustafa Khan said, “Mumbai’s runaway success forced us to make it a three-hour show. After the concert ended, we were flooded with requests to do another edition of Satrangi Re in Mumbai with a 3-hour duration. The advantage of working with an artiste as pure as Sonu ji is that he puts the audience and their love for his music first.”
NR Talent and Event Management organiser and co-founder Namrata Gupta Khan added, “The overwhelming response in Mumbai has turned Satrangi Re into a cultural phenomenon, prompting fans across the country to demand more. But besides the audience, Sonu ji, too, is looking forward to the extended duration, as he wants to enjoy rendering all the tracks from his setlist that his fans have been waiting for.”
BookMyShow chief operating officer, live entertainment and venues Anil Makhija said, “The response in Mumbai has been truly magical. Envisioned as more than a concert, the Satrangi Re India Tour brings to life an immersive, emotional journey through the many shades of love. Seeing an entire arena rise and sing with Sonu Nigam was both humbling and exhilarating. The upcoming shows now run for three hours, a reflection of that heartfelt demand.”
Satrangi Re has earned praise for its cinematic staging, complete with hydraulic sets, world-class audio visuals, LED wristbands and colour-coordinated lighting. The curated setlist journeys through seven shades of love, featuring hits like ‘Bijuria’, ‘Pardesiya’, ‘Jeene Ke Hain Chaar Din’, ‘Mere Dholna’, ‘Kal Ho Naa Ho’ and ‘Abhi Mujh Mein Kahin’.
The tour, produced by NR Talent and Event Management and conceptualised by BookMyShow, is now in full demand. Tickets are selling out quickly, available exclusively on BookMyShow.
iWorld
X launches XChat messaging app on iOS with calls and encryption
Standalone app marks shift from “everything app” vision, adds E2E messaging.
MUMBAI: From one big app to many small chats, X seems to be splitting its ambitions. X has rolled out its standalone messaging app, XChat, to iOS users, opening up a new front in its evolving product strategy. The app allows users to connect with existing X contacts through private and group messages, file sharing, as well as audio and video calls. The launch follows a limited beta phase, where the platform tested the product with a smaller user base to refine the experience. Now available publicly, XChat marks a notable pivot from earlier ambitions championed by Elon Musk to turn X into a single “everything app” combining messaging, payments, commerce and more.
Instead, the company under xAI ownership and backed by SpaceX appears to be building a suite of standalone applications, each targeting specific use cases while expanding its broader ecosystem.
At launch, XChat includes end-to-end encrypted messaging, PIN-based access, disappearing messages, and features such as message editing, deletion for all participants, and screenshot blocking. The company has also said the app is free from advertisements and tracking mechanisms, positioning it as a privacy-first alternative in a crowded messaging space.
However, security claims around the platform are likely to face scrutiny. Earlier iterations of XChat drew criticism from experts who argued it fell short of established encrypted platforms like Signal. With the wider rollout, the app is expected to undergo fresh evaluation to assess whether those concerns have been addressed.
Beyond messaging, XChat will also house X’s Communities feature, which is being discontinued on the main platform due to low usage and spam concerns. Migrating these users could provide an early boost to adoption, effectively turning XChat into both a communication and community hub.
The move underscores a broader recalibration at X less about cramming everything into one app, and more about spreading bets across multiple touchpoints, one message at a time.
