I would like all Gupshup folks to go and watch the Aamer Khan, Asihwarya Rai show. It was fantastic. It featured Rani Mukherjee, Jaspal Bhatti, Twinkle Khanna too.
The next show is in Houston on Friday, September 17. If you’ll happen to be in Houston or surrounding areas dont miss this show.
Anyone here had been to this live show. Comments.
Yes, I loved it. It was packed. Aamer Khan was too good.
This show was the first in a concert tour of the UK and North America by
these well-known actors of Indian popular cinema. The promised
appearances by stars of such titles as Raja Hindustani, Ghulam, Kuch
Kuch Hota Hai, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, and Taal, is likely to ensure the
tour’s success.
Attendance at this event, sponsored by the new digital TV channel B4U,
was a little disappointing. Wembley Arena was only two thirds full.
Perhaps this reflects a combination of high ticket prices and an
uncomfortable venue. I would estimate the audience figures to have been
around the 2000 mark.
The show followed precedent in a varied cabaret of songs (with dancing),
drama and comedy. Of these elements, the songs constitute the most
substantial part. They are largely mimed, as in the films, but some
singing is performed live. Frequent costume changes, pyrotechnics, and
lighting effects are used extensively to complete the theatricalexperience.
A professional-sounding, suitably enthusiastic, mistress-of-ceremonies
introduced the show. The first act was a song and dance routine
featuring Twinkle Khanna. I do not understand why Twinkle was included
in the line-up of stars, except to make up the numbers. Apart from
1998’s hit, Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai, I am not aware of her appearance
in any significant roles. Being the daughter of Rajesh Khanna and Dimple
Kapadia is enough to arouse interest, but she does need to give more hit
performances in films before she can command a significant following.
She is a competent dancer, and her forthcoming title, Mela, opposite
Aamir Khan, will surely settle the issue of whether audiences can take
her seriously as an actress. Baadshah is already looking like another
hit, but that film’s success will largely be attributable to the comedy
between SRK and Johnny Lever.
Rani Mukherji was excellent, giving an energetic and polished
performance. It came as something of a surprise when she subsequently
apologised to the audience for weaknesses in her dancing, due to a
recent injury. I did not notice any such lapses. Some male fans may have
been disappointed that she kept her legs covered throughout the show,
however. ;o)
Whatever his cinematic fortunes, Akshay Khanna is an apallingly wooden
performer in a live setting. His introverted, disinterested attitude on
stage resulted in a general failure to communicate with the audience,
and suggests a lack of theatrical experience. Akshay does not seem to
enjoy performing, and one questions why he does it, other than for
money, and to please his father (without whose assistance he would not
have gained his first break in Himalay Putra). An announcement of “The
Magic Akshay Khanna” was met with the sarcastic remark from someone in
the row behind me, “as opposed to the previous Akshay Khanna”. Towards
the end of the show, he was required to take Shah Rukh Khan’s role in
Chaiyya Chaiyya. His half-hearted attempt was simply an embarrassment towatch.
Aishwarya Rai was stunning as a dancer, her graceful movements a
complement to her famous beauty. The truly magnificent set pieces from
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam were a personal highlight of the show, and well
appreciated by the audience in general. Ganesh Hegde’s choreography
deserves a mention here. He even managed to make effective use of Akshay
Khanna in the songs from Taal.
There were two brief appearances by the young playback singer, Sunidhi
Chauhan, who can be heard on the Mast audio. I was impressed by her
rendition of Jiya jale, in which she included the Malayalam chorus. I
find her voice clear and refreshing, her style of performance modest and
thoughtful, and attribute any transient flatness of her singing on this
occasion to her nervousness and lack of experience of such events. PA
balance may have been a problem on the stage. The sound quality was
generally indifferent to poor throughout the show. The cavernous
acoustic space of the Arena seems to have inspired a policy among sound
engineers along the lines of “turn everything up as loud as possible” in
an attempt to defeat the echoes. The modest live band (two synths, bass
guitar and drums) was frequently heard as a distorted wall of sound,
with only the snare drum and cymbals clearly distinguishable.
Comedian Jaspal Bhatti was well-received. The little that I could
understand suggested observational humour with a good sense of the
absurd. Whatever it was, it kept the people in the row behind me in
stitches, and their laughter was infectious.
The second half of the show belonged to Aamir Khan. The man has a
reputation as a hard-working perfectionist, and it shows. There was a
wonderful sequence of songs with Rani Mukherji, in which the audience
was teased with the opening bars of Aati kya khandala between each song.
The bass guitar riff would commence, and Aamir and Rani would exchange
their “eh?” and “kya?”, before launching into an unrelated song. This
device was especially effective as an introduction to Tum paas aye
(KKHH). Finally, Aamir and Rani swapped playback for microphones of
their own, and we were treated to a live rendition, albeit with a couple
of technical problems (sleepy bass player, switched-off mike). Aamir’s
voice has improved since he made the recording, and Rani is not a bad
singer herself, although Alka Yagnik needn’t feel threatened.
http://www.pak.org/gupshup/redface.gif
)
Aamir also made extensive use of invited female members of the audience
in comedic stage routines. I was a little uncomfortable with this,
particularly with one that involved five tests of a woman’s eligibility
for marriage, but that’s probably just jealousy.
http://www.pak.org/gupshup/redface.gif
The opinions above are my own, and I do not claim them to be in any way
authoritative. Other views are welcome. Perhaps we can keep this thread
going throughout the tour, with people posting their thoughts as and
when they have seen the show in their city?
Acknowledgement---------------
Many thanks to Adrian Savage, without whose generous assistance I would
not have been able to attend this concert. – Richard Turner
Boycott Plan Against Aamir Khan Show Fails
Despite what the promoters of the show described as a relentless effort to have it canceled or at least turn into a flop, the Aamir Khan-led event in Houston was sold out last weekend.
Several Pakistan organizations (Pakistan Association of Greater Houston) and community leaders (Salim Syed and Zara Syed of Young Tarang) had asked their followers to boycott the show, which also featured Akshaye Khanna, Aishwarya Rai and Rani Mukherjee. They were piqued by Aamir Khan's alleged announcement that part of the profits from the show would go to the families of Indian soldiers killed in Kargil.
Though he denied making the statement, several Pakistani groups asked the show be boycotted, saying he had also acted in and produced "anti-Pakistani" film, Sarfarosh.
"But the show went full," said community leader, who estimated nearly 3,000 people turned out, a substantial number of them being Pakistanis. "And it went on without a hitch."
Since the show had several Pakistanis as co-sponsors, their own economic interest prevailed, if nothing else, and they sent feelers the show should not be boycotted, sources said.
"By the time the talk of a boycott began circulating, hundreds of Pakistanis had bought tickets," said a source. "They were not going to forfeit their money." The weekly India Herald reported that Sangeet, a Pakistani-sponsored radio show hosted by Saeed Gaddhi , carried an interview with Rai and comedian Jaspal Bhatti despite the ban called by PAGH. Rehan Siddiqui host of Desi Masala another Pakistani-sponsored radio show asked all Pakistanis to come in large numbers for the show. Rehan Siddiqui interviewed Aamer Khan and Aishwarya Rai on his show too.
The local Urdu Times editor Mr. Khalid Nizami said that past Indian movie shows in Houston were successful because of the "generous" support of the Pakistani community. The call for a boycott was justified, a Pakistani community leader said. Pakistan Association of Greater Houston (PAGH) at the last moment organised a special event Yaum-e-Takbir to honor Pakistani soldiers fighting in Kargil on the same evening of the show. Young Tarang appealed all Pakistanis to boycott the show.
PAGH has been accused of money laundering and mismanagement. Last month there were three independence day celebrations organised by various Pakistani groups. Many Pakistanis have accused Mr. Salim Syed for spreading hatred and dividing the Houston South Asian community through their 'Young Tarang' radio program.
Is anyone on Gupshup from Houston area. Of all the Pakistani organisations in US, PAGH is the most mismanaged and most corrupt organisation. Pakistanis in Houston fight like vultures on all radio shows. Punjabis hate SIndhis and Mohajirs and talk rubbish on the radio. Mohajirs talk rubbish against Punjabis. In the past 6 years there have been atleast 20 Pakistani radio programs all spreading hatred. 95% of these programs broadcast Indian film songs. 'Young Tarang' is the worst of all programs. Mr. Salim Syed who owns several Shell gas stations is evil. He spread so much hatred in the community that I have no words to describe. Many of these people have received death threats from rival groups and have taken to court and sued. Mr. Abdul Nassir Shaikh (Mr. John Shike of Atlas Mortgage) is well known for talking rubbish on the radio.
San Francisco: The fight over Kargil has found a new
battlefield — Houston.
A Mega Millennium show featuring Bollywood stars Aamir Khan,
Aishwarya Rai, Akshaye Khanna, Rani Mukherjee and Twinkle
Khanna ran into a spot of trouble over the weekend with
local Pakistani groups appealing to their countrymen to
boycott the performance.
The short fuses which sparked off protests among a section
of Houston’s Pakistani community were the roles played by
Aamir Khan and Akshaye Khanna in the films Sarfarosh and
Border respectively, and Aamir’s alleged comment that the
proceeds of his shows would go to the families of victims of
the war in Kargil. Aamir and Akshaye’s roles in the films
were considered "anti-Pakistani and offensive" by some
sections.
In publicity prior to the show, Aamir Khan was asked about
his alleged promise to donate part of the proceeds to the
Kargil cause. He denied making such a remark.
The local Urdu Times published an advertisement urging
Pakistanis to keep away from the show. An Urdu Times
spokesman had also, reportedly, criticised Indian soldiers,
saying they (Indian jawans) had been known "for their
repression from Sri Lanka to Assam to Kashmir."
"Negative propaganda by some Pakistani lobbies did hurt our
production financially but the show was a huge success and
almost half the audience comprised Pakistani teenagers,"
Mega Millennium’s promoter Rajender told The Asian Age over
the telephone from Houston after Friday night’s show. "The
Pakistanis took an active part in the performance. In fact,
two of our main sponsors were Pakistani-run businesses," he
added.
He declined to divulge the beneficiaries of the function,
but denied that part of the proceeds would go to the Kargil
cause. Almost 4,200 people attended the event. Undeterred by
the controversy the stars are now in Washington and will
feature in a similar show.
In an attempt to create a diversion, the Pakistan
Association of Greater Houston organised a parallel function
to "celebrate" the Kargil action by the mujahideen and
express solidarity with the Kashmiris.
Yet, there were others who called in on radio shows pleading
that Muslims must not boycott Aamir Khan’s show as he too
was a Muslim. "We should boycott Amitabh Bachchan’s
performances, but we Muslims must remain united," a listener
of the popular Pakistani radio talk show Young Tarang called
in to say. Young Tarang, which had initially supported the
Mega Millennium, did a volte face at the eleventh hour.
Admitting that the Pakistani Association did not want
Pakistanis to go to the show, one of Mega Millennium’s
sponsors, requesting anonymity, said: "We did face problems
within our community and there was pressure on us. But there
are always some troublemakers who try and incite violence or
hatred and they must not be allowed to rule us."
Some of Houston’s Pakistani radio shows have been reliving
the 1965 India-Pakistan war through a broadcast of Field
Marshal Ayub Khan’s speech and recently celebrated September
6 as "Pakistan Defence Day."
Houston has an estimated population of 50,000 Pakistanis and
between 60 to 70,000 Indians. "Most of the Indians in
Houston are from south India and do not understand Hindi.
So, it is largely the Pakistani audience which appreciates
and attends Bollywood shows," a Houston resident told The
Asian Age.
The Pakistani population has been openly acknowledged as
being more vocal than the Indians. Many popular radio talk
shows like Young Tarang , Desi Masala and Sangeet are
organised by Pakistanis. They also came out in large numbers
in Houston to protest the nuclear tests conducted by India.
Interestingly, the two cinema theatres in Houston that
screen Indian films are owned and run by Pakistani
managements.