by Sheneeza Ishmael
Part III: The Main Event
See my ticket here
As soon as we entered through the doors we were engulfed in a mob of people. I was squeezed on all sides and we finally made our way to the memorabilia table where we each bought a gorgeous Devdas poster of Ash. An usher led us to our seats and we were so close we could reach out and touch the stage. Excitement was beginning to creep in more and butterflies were raging out of control in my stomach.
Around 9:30pm the show began and they had a few fillers to start off the show. Then one of the sponsors came on the stage to list off the millions of contributors and the crowd was getting so antsy to see the stars that all of a sudden all I heard was an arena full of boos. Finally they got the message and introduced the host Shajid Khan.
The first performer was Celina Jaitley. The entire arena went dark and then the stage slowly became dusky and I could see the outline of dancers holding violins. Then the music of Dil Ne Dil Se Tujhe Pukara from Janasheen came on. I haven't seen Janasheen but the violins on that track are just gorgeous. Then the spotlight lifted up and there was Celina being carried out on the shoulders of the male dancers with a gold outfit and a violin in her hand. She looked almost like Cleopatra. She did a great job and I was impressed even though I am no Celina fan. The funny thing was that they introduced her as former Miss India and former Miss Universe and I was like, "Omg they are bringing out Lara first??!!!"
After Celina did her song, next up was Lara Dutta. She came out with Aisa Jadoo from Khakee. She looked stunning but you could tell she was wearing hair extensions. She did a better job in person than in the film I thought. Then they mixed Aisa Jadoo with Saiiyan from Mumbai Se Aaya Mera Dost.
Next came Shaan and it was surprising because he spent more time on stage than the stars. He came out around five times during the show. I mean he's a great singer and all but come on now, that was a bit outrageous.
After Shaan, the host went out in the audience with merchandise signed by Aishwarya. He was asking simple questions like Ash's first film, how many films did she costar with Shahrukh, what Mani Ratnam film she did etc. I was so angry because people didn't know simple things and of course I knew all the answers but he didn't come near us at all. While this was going on I turned my attention back to the stage and I saw them bringing out the pillar props. I started to get goose bumps because I knew that meant Ash was coming out with her Devdas performance next.
The host then went back on the stage and began his introduction of Ash. He said, "Are you ready for the most beautiful woman in the world? Are you ready for our queen of Bollywood?" The entire audience went wild and it sounded like a loud roar. Of course Marilyn and I added to the loudness. We are naturally loud but we got even louder knowing Ash was involved.
The lights dimmed…….and then I was struck down by an angelic sight. I think my heart stopped for a second as she came into focus. I died a thousand times in one second alone just seeing her for the first time in person. In that instant I forgot about the bad things of the day and I was just in awe. I always call her my goddess and I was right. It seemed like she was almost floating in the air. Her dancing was beyond graceful and so natural and seamless.
After I came out of my trance I began screaming so loudly and so did Marilyn. When everyone else would rest their voice we would just scream her name over and over. Without a doubt you could tell who we were there to see. She danced to Silsila Yeh Chaat Ka from Devdas complete with the same sari from Devdas and with a diya in her hand, and then Dola Re Dola as well. Her face was glowing and it was like the light of a thousand moons was shining on her. After her performance my hands were sore from clapping so much.
Shajid brought her back on stage and asked her to say a few words. I could see that she still wore a wrap around her ankle she had injured last April. She took the microphone, came to the edge of the stage and she had a huge smile on her face. Her eyes, oh my, how can I forget the eyes? It was as if an emerald and a topaz melted together and made her eyes. Aishwarya opened her voice and music came out. Her voice was like an angelic chorus. Hahhaha I really can't get over it. She thanked the fans…ehem…well wishers for all of our support through the years. Then she said the support gave her strength to explore all kinds of cinema whether it was Tamil, Bengali and now English. When she said "English," we went crazy and she looked at us, did a big giggle and waved at us because we were going wild.
Then she brought out Fardeen and then went offstage. Fardeen did a question and answer bit with the crowd then went off.
Next they introduced Hrithik Roshan. The arena went pitch black then light came up on the dancers and everyone was looking for Duggu. Then all of a sudden there was movement from above the stage and he was slowly descending on a large circular ring. He was dressed in a black tuxedo and had a black wide-brimmed hat on. He came to the edge of the stage, right in front of me, stood with his head bent, then threw off the hat, took off the jacket and stared at the crowd for a long time. His eyes were like fire. It was as if he was piercing through my soul. I didn't expect him to look so different than he did at Heartthrobs 1. He was so much more muscular and the haircut was to die for. We went wild for him as well. He performed a medley from his films and then at the end of his set he turned his back to the crowd, paused, and then slowly began to remove his black shirt. We were grabbing each other and stretching to see him lol. His back was so hot looking I can only imagine what the front looked like. Hrithik was such a tease. He gave too little of a peek when I wanted more!
Shaan came out for the millionth time and I was just waiting for what I knew was coming up next - the duo performances by Ash and Hrithik. Their chemistry was mindblowing. It couldn't have been better. I was ecstatic that their pairing was so pleasing to the eyes and that their chemistry was so sizzling. They came out at separate ends of the stage, Hrithik in all white and Ash in a black and copper pants-suit outfit. The spotlight danced back and forth on them as they did a dance competition with songs from their films. Then they slowly walked to the center of the stage, he took her face in his hands and their faces were within inches of each other. I held my breath and so did the rest of the crowd, then there was a bang and Ash pulled away as if she was shy. I wanted to scream, "WHY!!!!!????" It was an enthralling bit. Then I heard the music of Wada Raha from Khakee and I died. I couldn't believe I would see them perform to it. It was almost magical to see them romancing each other.
They also performed to Koi Mil Gaya and it was almost surreal to imagine Ash in that role. Their pairing worked very well.
After Duggu and Ash performed Shaan came again and then Fardeen returned and invited audience members to dance with Celina and Lara.
Then came the grand finale with a medley of songs from yesteryear to the present. Every time Ash came on stage we would scream loudly for her. It was very obvious who we were there to see lol. She would run on stage, do a bit and then run off. Every time she ran off I wanted to yell, "No, no….stay longer!!" Some of the older songs I recognized but the 90's songs were the best. She performed to Khallas, Babuji (oh gosh I just realized those are from Vivek's films *grins*) and Ishq Kamina. We went wild with Ishq Kamina which she performed with Hrithik. Then all of the stars came together for roll call and we were cheering like maniacs for Ash. That was when she waved at us again and winked. I wanted to cry out of joy.
They waved goodbye to the crowd and we were waving at Ash and she was waving at us and smiling so much. At one point when she looked at us it was as if she was surprised that we were supporting her so much and then her face changed to amusement then extreme happiness.
After the show we went to the backstage entrance at the rear of the arena to catch a glimpse of her exiting but 45 minutes later a cop told everyone they had to leave the area. We stood on the sidewalk waiting and then suddenly we saw camera flashes and screaming fans from the opposite side and we realized that they had probably come out of the arena. Just our luck that we were on the wrong side.
We waited some more to see the limo drive out but then it wasn't coming out at all and lots of cars were stopping and harassing us so we decided to walk back to the hotel because it was approaching 3am.
Looking back on this experience, I must say that Aishwarya was the light that made all the darkness worthwhile and bearable. We had such bad luck with most of the concert things, but the minute I saw her I forgot all of that. I don't know if she knows how much power she has over people, and seeing that in action was the experience of a lifetime. I thought of all the times I would feel overwhelmed maintaining the site and I knew then why I always pulled through. My idol didn't disappoint me. She far surpassed my expectations.
May 7th was the day I saw love personified and I was left breathless!
