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Rahman sings for India-Australia friendship
Sydney, Forty thousand Sydneysiders Saturday night clapped and cheered as the ‘Mozart of Madras’ A.R. Rahman and his troupe provided a spectacular musical extravaganza to salute India-Australia friendship.
Seamlessly blending the traditional with the modern, the music spanned the differences of language, enthralling old and young, touching the very heart strings at a time when Australia-India bilateral relations have come under strain following attacks on Indians in this country.
Music transcends boundaries and Saturday night it did, as Sydneysiders were taken on a journey of peace and joy by Rahman and his amazing troupe of nearly 40 musicians, dancers and supporting artists over 2-1/2 hours even as ominous clouds threatened to give way. A steady drizzle began as the sonorous sounds of “Khwaja Mere Khwaja” filled the cool night air.
It being one of the most anticipated concerts staged as part of the three-week Sydney Festival, people had begun securing places as early as 12 p.m. to get up and close with their music idol at the Parramatta Park, in the western Sydney suburb of Parramatta which has the largest population of Indian and South Asians in Australia.
Even the American-born Premier of New South Wales, Kristina Keneally, couldn’t conceal her excitement.
She said: “This event is a celebration of Indian culture, music and dance and acknowledges the invaluable contribution that the Indian community has made to the social fabric of NSW. It sends a clear message that NSW is a welcoming place for people of every country to study, live and work.”
For the 20 young boys and girls, who got a chance to perform with the world renowned maestro, it was the most exhilarating experience.
“It was a mind blowing opportunity that comes probably only once in a lifetime. We had intense rehearsals for five days and were really nervous, but once on stage, the energy and power of the music just consumed us all,” Akshita Mohan, 18, a resident of suburban Westleigh who was one of the supporting dancers, told IANS.
It is not often that an artiste of Rahman’s calibre performs for free, but that is typical of the man and his music.
“The concert is a gesture of friendship and goodwill between the two countries. I hope this solidarity continues to grow and blossom through the coming years,” said Rahman amidst deafening applause.
For those who couldn’t brave the crowds, the concert was telecast live by Australian Broadcasting Corporation to 44 countries with Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden, who plays for Chennai Super Kings as one of the hosts.
Rahman, who flew back home Sunday morning, was a guest of the NSW state government and Sydney Festival, which is Australia’s largest annual cultural event, showcasing a broad spectrum of Australian and international dance, theatre, visual arts and music.
As festival director Lindy Hume told IANS: “There are only a handful of living artists in any genre whose work is instantly and easily embraced in both eastern and western cultures – and one of them is A.R. Rahman. The message of this concert is one of harmony and cultural understanding between Australia and India, two countries who share so much more than a national day (Jan 26) and love of cricket.”
The mesmerising performance, enhanced by state-of-the-art digital projections, ended on a high with the magical power and vitality of “Jai Ho” reaching a crescendo in “Vande Mataram” as fireworks lit the night sky.
“Big Switch” has given me a reality check – Genelia D’Souza
New Delhi, Actress Genelia D’Souza says she has become more aware of the extent of poverty in India after hosting reality TV show “Big Switch”, which featured 10 rich children who gave up their comfortable lifestyles to fulfil the dreams of slum children.
“‘Big Switch’ was about a rich dreamer giving up his dreams to make another dreamer’s wish come true – helping someone who couldn’t afford to realise his or her dream. I have seen some of the most emotional moments between the rich and poor kids, which has given me a serious reality check in life,” Genelia told IANS over phone from Mumbai.
“There’s so much poverty in India, yet the people in slums have the courage to dream. I took up ‘Big Switch’ simply because it was a reality show in good light. The concept exuded positivity, and the soul of the show was very clean,” she added.
The show, which aired on UTV Bindass, had its finale Saturday. Genelia played a host, a friend and an advisor to all the children throughout the show. She says she was extremely touched during one episode.
“I have seen the rich kids do some of the sweetest things for their slum friends. I have seen them going to the extent of collecting cow dung with their bare hands – and all this for someone they have no relation with. I had tears in my eyes that day and it really gave me a reality check,” the 22-year-old said.
Though Genelia is happy with the way her small screen debut turned out, she isn’t too sure if she will be seen on television shows again soon.
“I haven’t really thought about doing any other shows on TV. Films are my main focus at the moment. I have been working very hard for them,” she said.
Genelia has been juggling between the southern film industry and Bollywood for the past five years but it was Imran Khan-starrer “Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na” that brought her to the forefront of Hindi movies.
Her latest movie “Chance Pe Dance”, which paired her with Shahid Kapoor, released to average reviews Friday. Genelia is now working with the likes of Anees Bazmee in “It’s My Life” and David Dhawan-John Abraham in “Hook Ya Crook”.
Asked if there were any specific roles she wanted to do, Genelia said: “I have never planned my career. Whatever comes my way, I try and make the best of it.”
Salman races with top jockeys to promote “Veer”
Mumbai, Bollywood star Salman Khan is leaving no stone unturned to promote his upcoming period drama “Veer” that releases Friday, even if it means participating in a race with top jockeys.
Clad in a black t-shirt, blue jeans and donning a yellow helmet, the 44-year-old raced with six jockeys at the Mahalakshmi race course Sunday, winning the event and being awarded a trophy.
“I was a bit nervous (before the race). If I’d have lost, people would have thought Salman lost the race and if I’d have won then they would have said that he had to win because he is a star,” Salman told reporters here after the race.
“But I’d like to clarify that it was not a set-up and was a genuine race. I gave my best along with the jockeys and so did they,” he added.
The epic has been produced by Vijay Galani and Sunil A. Lulla. It has been written by Salman.
It also marks the big screen debut of Zarine Khan in the female lead. Mithun Chakraborty, Sohail Khan and Jackie Shroff also play pivotal roles in the movie.
Sanjay Dutt is Sirsa Gullies T-10 team owner
New Delhi, Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt is the owner of the Sirsa Gullies cricket team for the T-10 gully cricket season 2 “Ab Har Koi Khelega”, it was announced here Sunday.
The team will see Dutt involved in all aspects like grooming of players, supporting and cheering them and getting various corporate sponsorships for the team that is making its T-10 debut.
“I am genuinely delighted to be an owner of this promising and talented team. This talent hunt will give an opportunity to players to showcase their talent and live their passion of playing cricket,” Dutt said in a statement. “There are some extremely brilliant players who play in the gullies of our country, and in the process have sharpened their skills, continuously bettering their performances. It’s time that their skills are projected in front of the country and they get their due,” he added.
Ritesh Deshmukh is the brand ambassador of the event while Jimmy Shergill, Rajpal Yadav, Divya Dutta and Prachi Desai have also been signed as the owners of teams from Jalandhar, Kanpur, Ludhiana and Surat respectively.
To be played among 17 teams, T-10 will be played under lights and matches will be telecast live on DD Sports, commencing Jan 19. The tournament concludes Feb 3.
The other teams featuring are from Nashik, Latur, Daman, Allahabad, Lucknow, Gwalior, Amritsar, Panchkula, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Ballia and Patna.
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