by Fariha Baloch
Before I left for Pakistan in 2001, my dad got us a subscription to the Indian channels. By the time I came back, I was crazy about Ash. In early August the Indian channels started airing the promos for a new concert called "Craze 2001". They were only saying the Lagaan team was going to be there. I remember my dad telling my mom if Anil Kapoor was to come than he will take her to see him. I was thinking if Ash or Preity will come than I am going to go no matter what. Few days later the promos started featuring the cast. They first showed Aamir Khan (He's hot but I'll only if Ash is going!), than they showed her! Aishwarya Rai. Aishwarya Rai Aishwarya Rai Aishwarya Rai. After Ash they showed Anil Kapoor (I don't believe it and I am already giving my dad the "Go buy the tickets" look). After Anil, they showed Preity and I knew I had to get to that show no matter what! The ONLY two people who I admired most in the world were coming (those were the days before I discovered Victoria Beckham) and I had to see them! So I bothered my dad and bothered him and bothered him and bothered him. So then we went down to Miami. My dad's friend who owns this Indo-Paki store had a big poster of the CRAZE 2001 concert and guess what? The next day was the show so I was bugging my dad and my dad's friend was like, "Well you should have told me before and I could have got you VIP tickets and backstage passes for free, but they are all sold out now!" So when we got back to NC, I force my dad to the tickets.
September 29th, 2001 was the day when I met two of my greatest heroes. Since we were driving from NC, it took us 5 hours to get to Fairfax, VA. Even then we got there early. We were two hours early and there was only one other car in the parking lot. We waited and all of a sudden there was this very small limo that stopped near the main gate (we weren't allowed to go to the stadium until show time) and my dad joked that Aishwarya was inside. I was like whatever. I went to see anyways and the driver asked me if I knew where the backstage door was. I told him I don't know since you know I was looking for it too cause I want to meet Aishwarya Rai. If I remember clearly, Aishwarya asked the driver something but we did end up talking for maybe 30 seconds and Aishwarya left and her driver left. I finally found the backstage door and when I got there Preity was getting inside. She was wearing a long black dress and a top hat (she performed in it) and she was just smiling. I remember her being very fair and very skinny with short shiny black hair and a big dimply smile and she went inside (we weren't allowed inside). There was a glass window and some fans did enter. But then we saw Preity smile at the fans and than yelled at the bodyguards saying something like "Why did you let them in? They are going to get scared and I won't have any fans and then who's gonna watch my movies?" and went to a room. I asked someone and they said Ash already went inside. The next ones to arrive were Anil and Aamir. I called Aamir and he gave me a kiss (a fly kiss but who is looking?) and than it was Gracy Singh who I must say looked very young and is very short and very pretty and she even signed some autographs. Than all of us went inside to see the show.
The show started with some singers and then it was Anil Kapoor and again some singers and than it was HER! They gave her a little intro and I was just jumping up and down! They even had a little special video of hers on the big screen. Ash's first song was to the musical theme of Mohabbatein. I don't what it's called but you know where those three girl dance? Well Ash did the classical bit and she was facing the other way. I was jumping up and down and was everywhere trying to see her. She was dancing just like an angel and you could see almost every guy young or old standing up too to see her face. Then she faced us. And I died…so beautiful…so gorgeous. I don't remember the rest of the show because I was only focusing on Ash; only on her beauty and her dancing and her voice when she talked. She was so perfect. She was just fantastic. After Ash it was Preity's turn. I must say Preity is not that good of dancer but her expressions were making up for it. It's a shame but I don't remember Preity's performance. But I do remember seeing Ash and Preity on the stage acting and Preity with Aamir being all dumb and funny. Apart from Ash's performance, I loved the Aamir-Preity act. Aamir and Preity did a spoof of Dil Chatha Hai but only it was funnier. Than it was a Lagaan get up and then Ash and Preity joined the Lagaan team on stage and did a funny act. During the act, when Aamir was acting, you can hear Preity talking to Ash and they both burst out laughing and Aamir gave them a nasty look and Ash gave Preity a warning look and then both of them laughed again. Then Anil joined and they all did "Mitwa" from Lagaan and the show ended.
