{
  "id": 12072350,
  "title": "Israeli singer learns Shah Rukh Khan song to honour Flydubai pilot Smit Machchhar",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/05/israeli-singer-learns-shah-rukh-khan-song-to-honour-flydubai-pilot",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-05T04:19:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Indian Express",
    "slug": "the-indian-express",
    "url": "https://indianexpress.com/article/trending/trending-globally/israeli-singer-itay-benda-shah-rukh-khan-tujh-mein-rab-dikhta-hai-captain-smit-machchhar-tribute-10907009/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Israeli-American musician Itay Benda performed a musical tribute to Captain Smit Machchhar, the Indian pilot who intervened during a potential hijacking of a Flydubai flight from Dubai to Tel Aviv. In a heartfelt gesture, Benda meticulously learned the Hindi song \"Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai\" by Shah Rukh Khan, originally from the 2008 film Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, and dedicated it to \"brave\" Captain Machchhar and fellow Indians worldwide. The now-viral video showcases Benda's impressive Hindi pronunciation as he sings the tribute. The video has garnered widespread praise on social media, with users commending the touching effort and Benda's excellent singing and pronunciation. The tribute follows the September 30 incident when the co-pilot allegedly stabbed Captain Machchhar and tried to interfere with the aircraft's controls, leading to an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia. All 174 passengers and crew members survived the incident.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Israeli-American musician Itay Benda performed tribute to Captain Smit Machchhar.",
    "Benda learned Hindi song \"Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai\" by Shah Rukh Khan.",
    "Video of tribute went viral, praised for singing and pronunciation."
  ],
  "editors_take": "The musical tribute by Itay Benda showcases cross-cultural solidarity, honouring an Indian pilot's bravery and resonating with a global audience through a popular Bollywood song.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}