“I just went blank” - Abhishek Bachchan
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It’s amazing what a power of three can do to a film and the Tour. Yes, I am talking about the Bachchan family, Amitabh, Abhishek, and Aishwarya. First it was their film Sarkar Raj that grossed almost £400,000 in the U.K. and now it’s their Unforgettable Tour which is selling like hot cakes in America. Not surprised to find out that all the shows are almost house full, I was more than curious to know Mr. Bachchan’s recovery. So what if one of the power house took a back seat, we still had the power of three. This time it was Jayaji, Abhishek, and Aishwarya who took over the proceedings. Hours before his first live performance in L.A. Abhishek Bachchan sounds upbeat…and why not? He is having a great response from the Tour so far, is highly excited about his next release Drona, is desperate to perform in front of his audience in London and of course, boosting with happiness to see his dad, our very own Big B, fully recovered. All this and much more from Abhi in this exclusive chat from L.A with Bollywood Hungama’s Devansh Patel. So, how’s dad and what do the doctors say? Nothing, dad’s good now. He is just at the rehearsals at the moment. He is back on his feet. He was fine yesterday and the day before. He had a bit of a cold but I forced him to stay in bed because I didn’t want it to spread into something which was uncontrollable. So as a son, I demanded that he stay in his room and locked him up. Dad has got a tendency that he pushes himself so much but thankfully he is fine now. From Toronto to Trinidad to L.A. How’s the journey been so far? The journey has been awesome. The reactions have been over-whelming. I never expected to see this kind of reaction. We were told that every centre, which was to host the show, was pretty much sold out except for the European leg because we haven’t come there yet. But America is completely sold out. And all this is just so wonderful because when you get on to the stage and see the audiences reactions, you know that you are not performing for yourself but for them. This Tour is for the audiences and will always be. First the unforgettable Sarkar Raj collections in the U.K and then this Tour. Looks like London’s the hot-spot for the Bachchan’s. London is a wonderful city. A city that is very close to our hearts. We spent a lot of time there as a family during holidays, we’ve done a lot of work over there and we’re very glad that we’re going to be coming to London in August. One thing I’ve been saying to the members of the media that London is definitely going to be the biggest and the best. So we’re saving that for the last. And what else are you doing in your spare time? Well, there isn’t much spare time because of the nature of the Tour. The minute you reach a new destination, you first get into all this media and promotional activities after which it’s just down to rehearsals. But it’s also important for you to know that nobody is taking this Tour lightly. Everybody is working very hard to put up the best show. We do realize that it is a demanding schedule but the endeavor was to put up the biggest and the best show that we could possibly do and I believe we’ve got such a show on our hands. Could you recall one unforgettable incident from your Tour so far? I think that was when the first time I came on stage in Toronto, the minute the lights come on, I just went blank. I forgot everything and I had to pass through the audience. I froze because the audience was all around and they were jumping around trying to reach out and touch me and shouting slogans. I was totally blanked out. Then finally, my manager Mambo Sharma, who was also from the U.K pulled me and said, “Come on bro, you’re on stage, move it”. And I replied, “Wait a second. Let me enjoy this a bit more.” But it was truly unforgettable. And the unforgettable moment was that I forgot everything. Mr. Bachchan on his blog stated that Trinidad is like a homecoming for you guys. When you were a five year old, you performed along side your dad on stage for the first time in Trinidad. So how far did that memory go? Dad used to do a track from his earlier film, Mr. Natwarlal, called, ‘Mere paas aao mere dosto’ in which he brought my sister and me on to the stage to introduce us to the audience. Now that’s a good 25 to 27 years ago. So it was wonderful to go back to Trinidad and win the place in the audiences hearts where we had been before for such shows. Every Bollywood actor would once dream of dancing with Madhuri Dixit. Any plan? I have plans of dancing with Madhuriji on the stage in L.A tomorrow night. So the plan is working. For the first time while working, the Bachchans won’t be missing each other. But do you miss the hot Indian food? No. Wizcraft made sure that wherever we travel, we were very well fed with our Indian ghar ka khaana. Can’t miss that for sure! We are also hearing rumors that Amsterdam isn’t going to be the last city where you guys will be wrapping the Tour on the August 29. What else is up the sleeve? Well, currently there are talks to do another show in Dusseldorf in Germany as they have requested us to do the show there. Plus, the second leg does start post September which will be in the Middle East, Far East and Australia and then we move on to Africa. So the Unforgettable Tour will be continuing. The exact dates though are not confirmed yet. Everyone is talking about Big B, Abhi and Ash on the stage together. The family is incomplete without Jayaji. Is she going to shake a leg too? She is on the Tour with us and she will be coming on stage and perform with us. You have to wait and see what song we perform on. Can’t tell you now. After performing some hot numbers on stage in hot locales, how do you plan to cool yourself down after all this tiring schedule? To be very honest, when you’re out there in the audience, you don’t think about the heat or the exertion. Their love and support just carries you through every hurdle. You can’t think of cooling yourself down. On my part, the minute this Tour gets over, I’ll be back in Mumbai finishing my film Dostana and getting ready to release Drona which releases on October 2. How’s the response of the Drona trailer been? Any news? It’s a teaser trailer and the first look into the film Drona. The response has been really huge. On the Drona website, www.dronathefilm.in, the response has been fantastic. Even in the kind of fan mail I’m getting, people are loving the trailer which is great because we’ve worked hard on it and it’s wonderful to see the audience liking the work we’ve done. We’ve also seen couple of exclusive pictures of you, John and Priyanka from Miami while filming Dostana. It’s all looking great. Now that you’re in the U.S, does it bring back the Dostana days? Well yeah. I was in Miami not too long ago shooting Dostana. We transited through Miami on our way to Trinidad and Tobago. It does bring back those good days. Any last message for your fans who are going to see you next month performing in London? To the audiences in London, we are willing to meet you all. We will hopefully make an unforgettable evening for you. It’s a wonderful show and you can be rest assured of a lot of entertainment and a lot of variety. I’m really looking forward to perform at the O2 arena. Love you all.
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Comment by Rajeev on 28 July 2008:
Well Drona might turn out to be years biggest disater.If we believe the reports DRONa has a budget of 45 cr.I dont think abhishek has the charishma to recover this huge investment.
Secondly SR has bombed even after the three bacchan.
Yes the tour might be a success as there are various other stars also in the shows.
Comment by don_mansoor on 28 July 2008:
yeah rajeev u r abs right…tour is successfull cuz others stars like madhuri….akshay……priety…..Bachanz can’t take credit for it….n one more thing Akshay took SRK thing in d show n called ppl on stage as SRK do it :D….SRK shows rocks more….watch temptation
Comment by don_mansoor on 28 July 2008:
DRONA will flop or disaster…if it lil better than below avg or avg….which seems far…
Comment by vijay on 28 July 2008:
srk shows suks and will flop badly also rnbj will be disaster
Comment by vijay on 28 July 2008:
srk is nothing but clown
Comment by vijay on 28 July 2008:
big b rules and the tour is so successfull that mr srk is jealous
Comment by vijay on 28 July 2008:
rajeev, look at tour mate drona will hit thy bullseye and will be biggest grosser of all time.secondly sr was a hit its only srk fans are saying that.i will spelly it out for you that SARKARRAJ IS HIT
Comment by Rajeev on 28 July 2008:
Vijaya,
Reg dorna lets wait and watch.
By the wat the biggest hit by Abhi is Guru at 40 cr.Lets hope he crosses that mark again.But DRONA will do much more than that earn a hit sataus.Biggest hit would be distant dream.
Srakar Raj is a hit for only jokers like you who dont like accept the BO reality.
Comment by Rajeev on 28 July 2008:
Vijaya,
Its good to dream.But dreaming positive things have a great chance of yeilding great results.
Comment by Rajeev on 28 July 2008:
Vijaya,
RNBNJ will create the BO record for First week.
The irony is you Bacchan fans can only bark and dont have money to purchase a ticket.
At the other hand we SRK fans are successful in our lives to purchase tickets and watch his movie in the first week.
We will make it sure that RNBDJ clocks the first week record.
WHAT YOU SAY ALL SRK FANS HERE??
Comment by vijay on 28 July 2008:
rajeev ………..live in your dreams
Comment by vijay on 28 July 2008:
rnbj will flop so badly that srk will vanishes
Comment by Rajeev on 28 July 2008:
Vijay…
Good joke.You should participate in the GRET INDIAN LAUGHTER CHALLENGE.
First take care of your stars.(The old sucker bacchan and the dumbo abhishek)They have vanished in the BO.
SRK would take care of himself.SR with all those great stars cud only collecet 33 cr.What a shame.The irony is the dumbo fuckers still claiming it as a hit.Thats really dissapointing.
Where as SRK took full resonsibility for Panchvi pass poor show.
Comment by Rajeev on 28 July 2008:
vijaya
“”rajeev ………..live in your dreams”"
Thanks mate..because my dreams becomes real more often than not(Unlike yours)
I dream of CDI being BB and SRK getting the best actor award.My dreams came true.
I dreamt OSO will break all records.IT did so.
I have again dreamt that RNBDJ break all records,i am sure it will.
I knew SR would bomb.It Did.I didnt dream it though.I dont want to dream about ugly faces and chronic loossers in my dream.
Comment by Abhi on 28 July 2008:
hey why bring Srk in this . do wee need to show Srk down to make Bigbs show succesful or vice versa.
Comment by vijay on 28 July 2008:
One is proven and another is on his way…. but not yet …..AB is a more talented performer with the diverse roles he has played …. and ruled the industry for 3 decades … SRK gets the sack from Aamir any time and any day !!!
Watching Koffee with Karan AB outshone SRK with his superior intellect .
SRK acted deploarably in the Filmfare Awards functions this time and it was highly objectionable , the manner in which he took his personal vendetta to a professional level ….. Shame — he de graded himself with all those vulgar unwanted anchorship ~ it was an Awards function and not an SRK one … wished he remembered that ….
the grace and demeanor with which AB treads on the stage is matchless.
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Comment by vijay on 28 July 2008:
Comparison should be always in between 2 closest competitors…..like Sachin & Lara…or Murali Vs Warne.
But Big Vs SRK is NO comparison….’kahan raja bhog (Bachchan) aur kahan gangu teli’ (SRK)…that chimp SRK is just a dilipkumar + amitabh clone….a copycat….just tell him to give us comparable perfomances in movies like Anand/Bemisaal/Andhaa Kanoon/Mili just to name a few….and then he has any right to ridicule others….A typical Delhite chap…always thinks he is hailing prime minister/ president’s khandan….hahahaha
Comment by vijay on 28 July 2008:
SRK is combination of many many stars & no individual identity
I doubt SRK can do any movie which can be called as CLASSIC
His most of movies are same repeated, nothing new
Comment by vijay on 28 July 2008:
AB is always AB, You can’t beat him in acting.some more movies names from myside:
Sholay, Amar Akbar anthony, Naseeb, Parvarish, kaalia, Shaan, Sharabi, Chupke Chupke, Don, Sarkar, B&B, Khakhi, Bhagban, Mahan, Coolie, Lawaris, Mard, Silsila, Yaarana, Dosatana, Muquadar ka Sikandar, Mahan, Mr. natwarlal, Khoon Pasina, Heri Pheri, Roti Kapda aur Makan, Kaala Patthar, and manyyyyyyyyyyy manyyyyyyyyy mores.
Comment by lmfrz on 28 July 2008:
Vijay!
Langoor AB ne zindigi bhar Dilip Kr (in emotional roles) and Pacino (in intense roles) copy maara.
“Anand/Bemisaal/Andhaa Kanoon/Mili”
Don’t make me laugh. None of them are great performances. Get your standards high.
But for that you’ll have to get your head out of AB’s arse.
Comment by vijay on 28 July 2008:
oops yes i forgot that was few movies which was not with chopra and johar camps
(in karan arjun he was in supporting role)
ha ha ha ha ha ha
and i think my next important point is related to that only
now tell me dear srk fan mr rajeev…….
how many srk fans will watch and remember his movies after 20 years ? (considering development of India after 20 years )
as bib “B” movies are lifelong watchable and each and every movies itself tells bundles of his talent
think long term not short term and that means “consistency”
big “B” ki jai or sarkarraj ka raj hai
Comment by vijay on 28 July 2008:
Forget about 20 years, no one is ready to see any of SRK movies even after 10 years. Example like Karan Arjun, Swades etc.
Even OSO which was craze when released, now everyone knows its most stupid & crab movie of that year.
In comparison, even after 25-30 years, most of Big B films are real WORTH. Some of them like Anand, Mili, Sholey, Dewaar, Kabhi Kabhi, Silsila, chupke Chupke, Sharabi etc
When Big B was in peak of his career say in mid 70’s & 80’s, he was doing variety of roles. Just see few names above
Where is variety in SRK movies even at his peak?
As I said only SRK has Charisma to attract people, but using it for wrong reason. Like supporting cricketers, buying them, insulting fellow stars in award function, performing in award function to win AWARD.
That doesn’t make sense
Anyway there is no comparison between BIG B & SRK
Big B is far far ahead of him even at this age
mr imfrz got it.
Comment by lmfrz on 28 July 2008:
Vijay!
“(in karan arjun he was in supporting role)”
I told you get your head out of AB’s arse.
Unlike AB, most of SRK’s movies are solo. On the contrary, most of AB’s movies were multistarrers.
Coming to variety of AB, in the 80s, he did mostly action movie larger than life roles, and most of them flopped especially post 1985. If you don’t believe me, give me a list of ABs movies from 80s to show his variety.
Comment by lmfrz on 28 July 2008:
AB played side-kick in Anand, Namak Haraam, Sholay and Chupke Chupke.
SRK has never played anybody’s side-kick.
Comment by vijay on 28 July 2008:
akshay kumar is better 1000 times than srk. no one can beat akshay. srk is just a good for nothing and an imitator of Big b. he over reacts too much and is getting older. He is not king of bollywood but king of fools and idiots.
Comment by lmfrz on 28 July 2008:
Vijay!
Try to make valid points. Writing stupid comments and diatribe don’t help your cause.
Comment by faizaan khan on 28 July 2008:
cool abhishek u r the best
Comment by raja on 28 July 2008:
“First it was their film Sarkar Raj that grossed almost £400,000 in the U.K.”
Compare that with OSO, which grossed triple that amount with only SRK. This means SRK is greater than the three Bachchans combined.(Probably greater than all of them combined)
This is the power of AB.
Comment by faizaan khan on 28 July 2008:
film’s gross depends on genre sarkar raj was a dark violent film it did not had the whole bollywood if this is the case even abhishek’s guru grossed more than cdi in u.s
Comment by vijay on 28 July 2008:
raja grow up srk is goner ,his shows are flopping so that means paancv vi pass ans kbc 3 was disaster so ab is power got it.
Comment by vijay on 28 July 2008:
amitabhs tour is also doing well ,,,,,,,,srk show is already flop before it began ie,bechara akayla hoon na
Comment by Savvy on 28 July 2008:
The Unforgettable Tour is not a success. It is just being portayed as such. The fans who attended the show themselves are saying how the auditoriums are empty…LMAO
After Sarkar Raj flop show..Drona will be a DISASTER!!
Comment by Arun on 28 July 2008:
Savvy,
Can u produce any proofs of what u r saying regarding Unforgettables not going housefull. Bceuase I have shown u ample proof that UNFORGETTABLES IS TULY A UNFORGETTANLE EXPERIENCE and is a MEGA BLOCKBUSTER…So stop barking just for the heck of it without any proof.
The Unforgettable Tour makes its Bollywood invasion
A sold-out L.A. Sports Arena crowd shows its love for Bollywood stars including Amitabh Bachchan, his son Abhishek and his wife, Aishwarya Rai.
By Nicky Loomis, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
July 28, 2008
Bollywood movies from India are known for their over-the-top spectacle and unabashed theatricality combining music, comedy, drama, glamour — all drenched in outrageous color.
So it’s not surprising that the live show featuring stars of Bollywood cinema, presented Saturday night for 12,000 screaming fans at the L.A. Sports Arena, would be a wild 3 1/2 -hour kaleidoscopic festival, aptly called the Unforgettable Tour.
The tour, which stars some of India’s most famous actors, pays tribute to their best-known roles: The actors perform live renditions of songs from their movies, accompanied by dancers, video footage and glittering light shows. L.A. was the first stop on an eagerly anticipated national tour aimed at the Bollywood faithful around the U.S.
“The people kind of treat them more as family,” said Jai Walia, 23, who attended the weekend show here. For the Bollywood stars “to come to a show like this is very rare.”
The host was Amitabh Bachchan, a fixture on the Bollywood acting scene since the ’70s.
“He’s like your Al Pacino or Robert De Niro,” Walia said of Bachchan. But perhaps with a bit more energy: The 65-year-old Bachchan sang and danced with such force that crowds formed in the aisles to sing along throughout the night.
Bollywood produces more movies than any other national film industry, and actors in India are accorded the kind of treatment familiar to Hollywood stars, including celebrity tabloids — Stardust, Film Fare and others — that follow their every move. Bachchan’s son, Abhishek Bachchan, and his wife, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, a former Miss World winner, are two of Bollywood’s brightest lights and have a fervent fan base.
“They’re like Brangelina,” said audience member Niyati Jhaveri, a 22-year-old USC student from Gujarat, India.
The show followed two sold-out events in Toronto and Trinidad. Promoted by Mumbai-based Wizcraft International Entertainment, each one costs about $1 million to stage, according to the promoters.
“The first thing that hits you is just the euphoria,” said Abhishek Bachchan, of his first world tour. “It’s an outpouring of love from the audience — it really explodes when actors come on stage.”
Other stars included musicians Vishal & Shekhar, actress Preity Zinta and actor Ritesh Deshmukh. Also highlighting the U.S. tour is Madhuri Dixit, famous for her infectious dance moves.
During his first appearance, Abhishek Bachchan made a surprise entrance through the crowd, sporting sunglasses and a bejeweled jacket as he maneuvered through the screaming fans, surrounded by five security guards. He also performed romantic numbers with his wife onstage as teen girls in the audience howled with glee.
Toward the end of the show, his dad silenced the crowd as he bellowed monologues from some of his movies in his famed baritone, jumping from character to character (think Marlon Brando reading a scene from “A Streetcar Named Desire” followed by one from “The Godfather”).
“He’s the one person who’s been a role model to pretty much the entire industry,” Abhishek said during a press conference last Thursday.
Crowds cheered wildly when Dixit took the stage with dancing partner Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. They performed “Dola Re,” a song from the movie “Devdas,” dancing side by side in some of the most graceful traditional Indian-style moves of the evening.
The evolution of Bollywood dancing has come to include Western styles of dance, including hip-hop, folk and waltz, and those forms were woven into acts in the show by Shiamak Davar, one of India’s leading choreographers.
“Our dance form is an amalgamation of everything,” said Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. “That’s what has existed in our cinema the whole time.”
Next stop on the U.S. tour is San Francisco, followed by Houston; Atlantic City, N.J.; Chicago; and New York. Then the tour goes on to London, Holland and Germany.
Noted Aishwarya Rai Bachchan: “The audience is a lot more international — the music is so universally embraced.”
nicky.loomis@latimes.com
Comment by Arun on 28 July 2008:
LOS ANGELES SHOW
1. After wowing Toronto and Trinidad, the Unforgettable Tour put up a great show in Los Angeles.
Madhuri Dixit joined the tour, and performed to hit numbers from Ek Do Teen to Aaja Nachle. The highlight of the evening was Madhuri dancing with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to the Dola Re song, from Devdas.
2.
The Unforgettable tour took a toll on Amitabh’s health, as he fell sick. But the crowd kept his spirits up.
‘It has been the best ever for me,” Amitabh wrote on his blog. ‘And all the credit goes to the the utterly fantastic fans and audience at the LA Sports Arena, that packed the venue right up to the rafters and just egged and shouted and screamed us into a performance that all of us will remember for a lifetime.’
3.
Preity Zinta looked gorgeous and fairy-like in a gold and red gown.
4.
Abhishek Bachchan, sporting sunglasses, made his entrance through the crowds, surprising everyone.
“The first thing that hits you is just the euphoria,” Abhishek said. “It’s an outpouring of love from the audience — it really explodes when actors come on stage.”
Comment by vijay on 28 July 2008:
savvy is a big lier
Comment by vijay on 28 July 2008:
savvy can u show some proof
Comment by vijay on 28 July 2008:
hi arun ……….i think savvy cant digest it that the show is a blockbuster
Comment by vijay on 28 July 2008:
savvy…….like sarkarraj is a hit but this show is very successful and all these srk fans cannot digest it
Comment by subahjaani on 28 July 2008:
One thing I have noticed in all forums is that
AB fans always compare SRK with AB & then say he wants to be like AB.
Grow up idiots, shows your insecurity when u get SRK whenever AB’s name is mentioned
don’t like SRK just stop talking or writing about him
nobody’s holding gun to your head and asking you to watch SRK
so stop behaving like juvenile.
Comment by vijay on 28 July 2008:
its srk fans dont like the big b,,,,,all these fans so called real fans are always dragging his tours and his films down so all we amitabhs fans are not going to standstill and watched big b humiliated,srk fans should grow up and stop staying bad things about BIG B
Comment by vijay on 28 July 2008:
mumbai, July 28: Madhuri Dixit joined Big B’s ‘Unforgettable Tour’ in Los Angeles adding spice to the rocking tour that it has proved so far. Yesterday’s LA concert was so impressive that it made Amitabh Bachchan very emotional.
Not just Los Angeles, the seat of Hollywood has came to see Bachchans in full show, Amitabh’s popularity seems to have increased with Asian population across the whole North America.
He was so impressed by the public’s response that he wrote oin his blog, “ “It has been the best ever for me. And all the credit goes to the utterly fantastic fans and audience at the LA Sports Arena, that packed the venue right up to the rafters and just egged and shouted and screamed us into a performance that all of us will remember for a lifetime.”
Madhuri Dixit’s presence seems to have added fizz to the tour. The Bollywood actress despite being out of action for a quite long time has still hundreds of thousands of admirers across the globe.
The actress who was listed as the Best Bollywood Actress Ever by a leading Indian media house last year is an award-winning Indian Bollywood actress. Throughout the late 1980s and 1990s, she dominated Hindi cinema as a leading actress and an accomplished dancer. Earlier this year Dixit was awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award, by the Government of In
Comment by vijay on 28 July 2008:
madhuri Dixit has acted in leading roles in some of the most acclaimed Bollywood movies including, Tezaab, Ram Lakhan, Parinda, Tridev, Kishen Kanhaiya, Dil, Saajan, Khalnayak, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun!, Raja and Dil To Pagal Hai
Amitabh Bachchan in the meantime says that he is trying his every bit to keep fit. “I popped every anti biotic available, every energizer around, prayed as hard as I could and gave it all I had. I don’t know how it all happened, but it happened. I stand up in salutation to the people at the venue, to the people of Los Angeles, to all the fans and well wishers. You did it ! And I humbly bow down to you with the deepest respect and love. Thank you !!”, said the actor………………now savvy can you seriosly show the proof.
Comment by Arun on 28 July 2008:
Subahjaani,
On the contrary, its the oppsoite everytime i.e. SRK fans try to compare hi with BIG B…How else would you justify the articles like BIG B v/S SRk part -1, BIG B V/S SRK part -2 etc…all posted by SRK fans and not AB fans. Understood u dumb parasite….
Infact BIG B fans have always maintained that BIG B can’t be touched by anyone in terms of ACTING that is par excellence. So think before u speak u idiot
Comment by Rizwan on 28 July 2008:
From Los Angles Times. Good that we have western media reporting this event. the truth can never be hidden!!! This is a smack in the face for all anti-bachchan people who claimed this tour will flop. SO far its been the biggest success ever from an indian tour. Prices are sky high, yet the shows are SOLD OUT!!!
REad the below article published in LA TIMES!! Home of Hollywood!
The Unforgettable Tour makes its Bollywood invasion
A sold-out L.A. Sports Arena crowd shows its love for Bollywood stars including Amitabh Bachchan, his son Abhishek and his wife, Aishwarya Rai.
By Nicky Loomis, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
July 28, 2008
Bollywood movies from India are known for their over-the-top spectacle and unabashed theatricality combining music, comedy, drama, glamour — all drenched in outrageous color.
So it’s not surprising that the live show featuring stars of Bollywood cinema, presented Saturday night for 12,000 screaming fans at the L.A. Sports Arena, would be a wild 3 1/2 -hour kaleidoscopic festival, aptly called the Unforgettable Tour.
The tour, which stars some of India’s most famous actors, pays tribute to their best-known roles: The actors perform live renditions of songs from their movies, accompanied by dancers, video footage and glittering light shows. L.A. was the first stop on an eagerly anticipated national tour aimed at the Bollywood faithful around the U.S.
Related
Photos: Bollywood Unforgettable Tour”The people kind of treat them more as family,” said Jai Walia, 23, who attended the weekend show here. For the Bollywood stars “to come to a show like this is very rare.”
The host was Amitabh Bachchan, a fixture on the Bollywood acting scene since the ’70s.
“He’s like your Al Pacino or Robert De Niro,” Walia said of Bachchan. But perhaps with a bit more energy: The 65-year-old Bachchan sang and danced with such force that crowds formed in the aisles to sing along throughout the night.
Bollywood produces more movies than any other national film industry, and actors in India are accorded the kind of treatment familiar to Hollywood stars, including celebrity tabloids — Stardust, Film Fare and others — that follow their every move. Bachchan’s son, Abhishek Bachchan, and his wife, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, a former Miss World winner, are two of Bollywood’s brightest lights and have a fervent fan base.
“They’re like Brangelina,” said audience member Niyati Jhaveri, a 22-year-old USC student from Gujarat, India.
The show followed two sold-out events in Toronto and Trinidad. Promoted by Mumbai-based Wizcraft International Entertainment, each one costs about $1 million to stage, according to the promoters.
“The first thing that hits you is just the euphoria,” said Abhishek Bachchan, of his first world tour. “It’s an outpouring of love from the audience — it really explodes when actors come on stage.”
Other stars included musicians Vishal & Shekhar, actress Preity Zinta and actor Ritesh Deshmukh. Also highlighting the U.S. tour is Madhuri Dixit, famous for her infectious dance moves.
During his first appearance, Abhishek Bachchan made a surprise entrance through the crowd, sporting sunglasses and a bejeweled jacket as he maneuvered through the screaming fans, surrounded by five security guards. He also performed romantic numbers with his wife onstage as teen girls in the audience howled with glee.
Toward the end of the show, his dad silenced the crowd as he bellowed monologues from some of his movies in his famed baritone, jumping from character to character (think Marlon Brando reading a scene from “A Streetcar Named Desire” followed by one from “The Godfather”).
“He’s the one person who’s been a role model to pretty much the entire industry,” Abhishek said during a press conference last Thursday.
Crowds cheered wildly when Dixit took the stage with dancing partner Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. They performed “Dola Re,” a song from the movie “Devdas,” dancing side by side in some of the most graceful traditional Indian-style moves of the evening.
The evolution of Bollywood dancing has come to include Western styles of dance, including hip-hop, folk and waltz, and those forms were woven into acts in the show by Shiamak Davar, one of India’s leading choreographers.
“Our dance form is an amalgamation of everything,” said Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. “That’s what has existed in our cinema the whole time.”
Next stop on the U.S. tour is San Francisco, followed by Houston; Atlantic City, N.J.; Chicago; and New York. Then the tour goes on to London, Holland and Germany.
Noted Aishwarya Rai Bachchan: “The audience is a lot more international — the music is so universally embraced.”
Comment by Rajeev on 28 July 2008:
The unforgettable tour is big hype created again by the bacchans.
The bacchans are big liars proved time and again and the public of India are not fools to look thru this.
That is the rason whenever their movie releases,the public reject them outright.
Comment by Rizwan on 29 July 2008:
Rajeev a link for your attention!!
blogs.bigadda.com/ab/2008/07/29/day-96/
Comment by Arun on 29 July 2008:
Now can u guys see the attendance. i guess the visual proof should put to rest about the doubts whether unforgettables is successful or not…I guess now it’s clear that certain sections of media, poeple, fans always tried to pull down Bachchans but everytime in vain…This shows the kind of power BIG B has at age 66…
Comment by Rajeev on 29 July 2008:
Rizwan,
Thanks for the link.
But with time i have started to disbelief whatever the bacchans say especially after Bacchan promoted the site IBOS in his blog.
Gone are the days when i treated BIG B as GOD and believed what he said.But as i matured i realised that this guy is a hypocrate and manipulates the media for his personal gains.
If the show is really doing well then good luck to you and your freinds and the Bacchans.
But for me i have little impact of bacchans in my life.They do not inspire me.
Comment by Arun on 29 July 2008:
Mustafa, Jai, Imfrz
Where ru guys? So u were saying that Bachchan is desperate to make his shows , films a hit!!! After seeing the pics, it wwere basically u guys who were desperate to pull down Bachchan becuase he gives u complexes… And if he’s was not popular till date, then u wouldn’t have seen this response as shown in LA.
Before u guys come up with a withdrawl route, let me tell u that Akshay Kumar was not accompanying Bachchans in trinidad and LA shows….So i guess, now u will come up with names like Madhuri or Vishal-Shekar that the shows were MEGA BLOCKBUSTERS because of them alone. Come on say it…losers….where ru hiding? And pl. ask Shaan Khan to come out andgive his expert opinions on the shows. He only comes out like a frog when the environment is conducive for him…
Comment by Arun on 29 July 2008:
Rajeev,
No problem. Exceptions will always be there. After all we do have atheist in the world who do not pray, do not worship.
And u will also find people who detest films like Sholay or Mughal-E-Azam. That ofcourse doesn’t take anything from the films though in terms of contributions to indian cinema. Ditto for DDLJ, HAHK, MPK, QSQT etc…Isn’t it???
Comment by Rajeev on 29 July 2008:
Rizwan,
I am no more a staunchest bacchan supporter i used to be say 4 years back.(Although i liked SRK at that time too.
Infact i liked both SRK and BIG B very passionately)
But BacchanSr has dissapointed me with the kind of movies he has done in last 5-6 years.Also he has upset me with his propaganda machinery which is trying very hard to promote his son(Whom i believe the most luckiest son but the dumbest of them all)
Infact i am not able to tolerate baccghan at this moment more than 15 seconds be it in a movie or in a ad film or in an interview
The only problem i have with the Bacchan is his obsession to promote his dumb son blindly.
Comment by Rajeev on 29 July 2008:
Arun
There are better human beings in earth to pray and worship.Certainly none of the Bollywwod personalities are worth worshipping.
Infact i am sick of these arguments.I dont want to argue anymore.
Goodluck to you with your love for Bacchans and i am ok with my love for SRK.
It was pleasure talking with you.
Comment by Rajeev on 29 July 2008:
Arun,
Neither can i cange your opinion nor you can change mine.So lets accept each others views and respect them.
Comment by Arun on 29 July 2008:
Rajeev,
When I give an exmaple of being atheist or worshipping, I certainly never meant that one should worship humans or BIG B. What I intented to mean was when u said “BIG B doesn’t inspire me at all”…is that similarly, there are people who do not beleive in GOD and the Almighty, so GOD does not force them to believe HIM. It’s just that such % of people are very less.
Likewise, BIG B may not inspire u at all but there are majority of people whom he inspires and people against him are also very less in %.
Comment by Arun on 29 July 2008:
Rajeev,
And i see no reason why BIG B is ont allowed to show his love for his son openly. I mean every father wants best for his child. What is wrong if he is promoting his son also becuase he is certainly not forcing anyone to see his film or accept Abhi as a no 1 superstar. What do u expect from BIG B? To stop having emotions for his son? And today u can say that “i dont like his propoganda technique and all” but when Araav and Aryan grow up to be young lads, we would see how much will a father in Akshay or SRK support them? Com on man, it’s but natural for a father to support his son. What’s wrong in that?
Comment by lmfrz on 29 July 2008:
Arun!
“Where ru guys? So u were saying that Bachchan is desperate to make his shows , films a hit!!!”
What was it when AB tried to mislead people that his version of KBC was more popular without knowing a fuck about TRP? Desperation
(He even asked people that I wonder whether SRK is the biggest star of today)
What was it when AB told media that Guru is the best performance of this year, without seeing other people’s performance? Desperation
(He still believes that Abhi should have got awards for Guru last year)
What was it when AB and his gang kept telling the media that SR is a hit despite the fact that it had collected only 33 crores in 3 weeks? Desperation
“After seeing the pics, it wwere basically u guys who were desperate to pull down Bachchan becuase he gives u complexes… And if he’s was not popular till date, then u wouldn’t have seen this response as shown in LA.”
A guy or a family who keeps giving one turkey after another can’t give SRK or his fans complexes. As far as shows are concerned, every DOG has its day.
“Before u guys come up with a withdrawl route, let me tell u that Akshay Kumar was not accompanying Bachchans in trinidad and LA shows….So i guess, now u will come up with names like Madhuri or Vishal-Shekar that the shows were MEGA BLOCKBUSTERS because of them alone.”
SRK fans never say things like that. It’s always AB’s fan who keep belittling SRK’s achievements. They would say stupid things like DDLJ was a success ‘coz of Kajol. He never had a solo hit ‘coz heroines role was bigger, etc.
AB is the BIGGEST LOSER in this world, and so are his followers.
Comment by vijay on 29 July 2008:
IMFRZ……….you are thy biggest loser…….what do u think that srk came and bollywood began,srk is media driven star,,media go against and srk is finito ,surviving on media is called desperation…………listen srk is alone and no other khan are bothered about him.
Comment by lmfrz on 29 July 2008:
Arun!
“but when Araav and Aryan grow up to be young lads, we would see how much will a father in Akshay or SRK support them? Com on man, it’s but natural for a father to support his son. What’s wrong in that?”
There is nothing wrong in promoting. The problem is with the way he promotes. Rakesh Roshan also promoted Hrithik but he never kept belittling other people’s achievements. He never said, Hrithik should have won an award for this film and that film despite the fact that hrithik is zillion times more talented and good looking than Abhi.
And I would also hate SRK or Akshay promoting Aryan and Aarav respectively if they (Aryan or Aarav) are as useless or more useless than Abhi.
One should be a SRK or an Akshay or an AB fan but one should never be the fans of their idol’s son just ‘coz they are his sons.
Comment by lmfrz on 29 July 2008:
Vijay!
“IMFRZ……….you are thy biggest loser…….what do u think that srk came and bollywood began,srk is media driven star,,media go against and srk is finito ,surviving on media is called desperation…………”
The media was against him in 2000 when Hrithik debuted, but still he managed to give one of the finest performances of the year in Mohabbatein (Filmfare Critics Best Actor Award). And he consolidated his position more and more to give hits after hits and getting Filmfare Power Awards in 2004 & 2005.
Plus, can you prove me how SRK is media made. It’s just a biased statement to belittle SRK’s achievements.
Now, tell me who is DESPERATE to run down other people’s achievements - an SRK fan or an AB fan?
“listen srk is alone and no other khan are bothered about him.”
SRK is enough alone. And how does it matter to you whether other Khans are with him or not. SRK didn’t become a SUPERSTAR with Salman’s or Aamir’s help.
Comment by Arun on 29 July 2008:
Imfrz,
No one is forcing u to be their fans but the point is that there would be people who would be fans of Sunil Shetty or Harman baweja also. Can u stop them anyways? No, so why hold grudges. u can’t control fan following of any star nor can u dictate terms. Closing ur eyes would certainly not mean that there is darkness all over. So stop believing that BIG B’s finished and doesn’t enjoy popularity in India or worldwide. More importantly, stop belittlling his achievments coz, by doing so, u r insulting Indian film industry only.
Had BIG B been openly promoting, Abhi would have got the award for Guru in IFFA. But SRK got that for CDI. Just becuase a ceratin stupid and crazy Shatrughan says something, that is obviously not become truth. Everyone knows that he was jealous of BIG B from day one.
Comment by vijay on 29 July 2008:
IMFRZ, SRK SHOWS ARE FLOP I,E PAANCVI-PAAS [FAIL] KBC-3 AND VERY SOON HIS FILMS WILL START FLOPPING BECAUSE BOLLYWOOD NEEDS SOME CHANGE AND LOOK SHAHID KAPOOR EVERYONE ARE COPING HIS HAIRSYLE.DUS KA DUM BEAT SRK SHOW BY MILES,.YOU WERE SAYING THAT AMITABHS SHOW WAS GOING TO FLOP-BUT ITS CREATING RECORDS AND FANS ARE LIKING IT SO STOP TALKING ABOUT NEGATIVE THINGS ABOUT BIG B -AS FAR AS SRK IS CONCERENED HE IS BELOW PAR,AMITABH IS KNOWN ALL OVER THE WORLD.BOLLYWOOD WAS BUZZING BEFORE AND AFTER HIM.ITS A SAYING WHAT GOES UP MUST COME DOWN AND THATS WHERE SRK SHOULD COUNT HIS ULTI GINTI.
Comment by lmfrz on 29 July 2008:
Arun!
I am not saying that no body should be a fan of Abhi. There are fans of even Kishan Kumar. I am just saying that one should not be Abhi’s fan only ‘coz he is the son of AB. And if you are an AB fan, you can’t be someone else’s fan. You might like others.
Plus, had it been in his hands, he would have given the award to Abhi at IIFA. (If you read his blog you would agree). It’s not his award, he is the brand ambassador only. It’s not as if he can do whatever he wants to do and no body will raise a finger at him.
Regarding running down AB. No good SRK fan will run down anyone else’s achievements. It’s always the AB’s guys who come up with stupid THEORIES to run down SRK.
Plus, we are not against AB or jealous of him. We say only what is true. Like he is eroding his legacy by doing stupid movies and delivering flops after flops. Or the fact that most of his hits were blockbusters. Or Sholay wasn’t an AB’s movie only. He was the smallest star of Sholay when he signed it and when it released (a fact backed by the argument that he got Sholay only on Dharmendra’s recommendation). Or the fact that he doesn’t figure in the top 10 today (a fact backed by the argument that his movies don’t open good and most of them flop).
We would also like to see AB doing good movies and delivering blockbusters. But the sad thing is that he doesn’t learn from his lessons and keeps doing bad films. See, Dilip Kumar had a very good second run ‘coz he did good movies (Kranti, Vidhaata, Mashaal, Mazdoor, Karma, Saudagar, Kanoon Apna Apna, etc).
If he does good films and deliver hits or even average grossers regularly (since he is old) at the box office, I don’t think anybody will feel anything against him. No body is scared of an achiever. Sooner or later people accepts the fact. But people feel bad when you just talk big and don’t deliver big.
Vijay!
Whatever you have said are just a conjecture. So keep specualting. People have been doing the same for last 17 years. Some day, may be after 20 years, your wish will be realised.