Posted:
http://www.indiawest.com/view.php?subaction=showfull&id= 1210200908&archive=&start_from=&ucat=7
| Hits Galore from Bollywood's Udit Narayan | |
| By LISA TSERING India-West Staff Reporter SAN FRANCISCO — Bollywood playback legend Udit Narayan entertained with a warmly performed selection of some of his hit songs at the Cow Palace May 3. The supporting cast of performers that included his 20-year-old son, rising star Aditya Narayan, starlet Preeti Jhangiani and "Indian Idol" contestant Aditi Paul-Majumdar, dominated the three-hour show. Narayan, who has racked up dozens of hit singles in Hindi, Tamil, Nepali and other languages over a career that spans two decades, largely limited his repertoire here to his Hindi hits, ranging from his perennial opening number "Papa kehte hain" to the 2007 super-hit "Do you wanna partner?" Many of Narayan's biggest hits have been picturized on Shah Rukh Khan, and the singer brought back happy memories of Khan films such as "Om Shanti Om," "Dil To Paagal Hai," "Don" and "Veer-Zaara." Dressed in a sharp, black pinstriped suit with a bright red silk tie, Narayan — sporting a moustache and a new, hip short haircut — brought a touch of old-fashioned charm to the look onstage, surrounded by Bollywood dancers and backed by a spry seven-piece band. He tried to bring a feeling of intimacy to the vast space of the Cow Palace (which has hosted concerts for A.R. Rahman and Lata Mangeshkar in years past) with light-hearted banter and quirky but endearing dance steps. He worked his way through a lineup of songs that included "Tere naam," "Nasha yeh pyar ka nasha hai," "Pehla nasha," "Kaike paan Banaraswala," "Main nikla," "Kuch kuch hota hai" and the haunting "Main yahan hoon" from "Veer-Zaara." Narayan ceded the stage to his talented son, giving Aditya almost as much stage time as his famous father, but the crowd didn't seem to mind at all. Aditya, who made a smashing impression on the Narayans' last visit to California three years ago, has matured into a handsome, full-voiced young star in his own right. Aditya's voice — which he exercised from its lowest register up to soprano range — falls somewhere between the lush head tones of his father and the full-throated folksy sound of a Sukhwinder Singh. He also proved capable of top-quality Western-style singing, with a gorgeous performance of "Lately," Stevie Wonder's poignant song of a man who doubts his lover's faithfulness. Over the past few years, the Western song has become a staple element of Bollywood shows, attempted by talents as varied as Sunidhi Chauhan, Adnan Sami and even Priyanka Chopra, but it's never been done as beautifully. Later, in a brief (and slightly gimmicky) set piece, he mentioned that Britney Spears's record company had approached him with a contract, mistakenly thinking Aditya was a woman's name. This segued into a playful performance of the "Don" hit "Aaj ki raat" — in which he convincingly performed both the man's and woman's parts. Aditya also joined his dad for a fun version of "Do you wanna partner?" and "Deewangee." Aditi Paul-Majumdar, who appeared on "Indian Idol" in early 2005, lent her supple voice to songs such as "Bidi." Deepa Narayan, Udit's wife, joined him for a couple of Nepali numbers; Preeti Jhangiani showed up in a glittery white costume to dance to "Crazy kiya re" and other songs; and a local Afghani performer named Mr. Masood made a lengthy appearance. Paul Singh and Gagan Singh, the local promoters for the show, took the opportunity to announce the date of the upcoming "Unforgettable" concert tour — Sunday, July 27 at the Oracle Arena in Oakland. Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Aishwarya Rai, Madhuri Dixit, Preity Zinta, Ritesh Deshmukh and music directors Vishal-Shekhar will headline. Visit www.theunforgettabletour.com for information. Udit Narayan and Aditya Narayan will next perform May 9 at the La Mirada Theater in La Mirada, Calif. The concert is billed as a fundraiser for the Sankara Eye Foundation. For more information on the May 9 show, call (714) 318-2280 or (714) 815-1163. | |
|
Cricket
CID
Kumkum Bhagya
Pyaar Kii Ye Ek Kahaani
Kabhi Neem Neem Kabhi Shahad Shahad
