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| Sexy, Festive 'Rock Stars' Show Delights Fans |
By LISA TSERING India-West Staff Reporter SAN LEANDRO, Calif. - Salman Khan swaggered his way through "Rock Stars," a thrilling, three-hour Bollywood star show that brought together some of Mumbai's hottest names for a boisterous evening of movie magic May 27 at the Long Beach Arena and May 28 at the Oakland Arena. The show, rescheduled after a month-long delay following Khan's wildlife poaching conviction in India (I-W, May 26), was definitely worth the wait. Familiar faces such as Khan and superstar Kareena Kapoor, both marking their return to the American stage, vied for audience affection with newcomers to the star show scene - John Abraham, the penultimate loverboy; Shahid Kapur, a blast of dancing energy with a megawatt smile; athletic Esha Deol; sultry Mallika Sherawat and playful Zayed Khan - in long, well-costumed and choreographed segments that allowed each star's personality to shine through. "Rock Stars" is also the most sex-soaked Bollywood show ever - eyebrows shot up as Khan pumped the air with his hips and performed a suggestive number with a towel; Abraham invited a girl up from the audience for some suggestive dancing and a tryst on a red-sheeted bed in the middle of the stage; and the female dancers showed acres of skin and seemed to look for any excuse to toss up their skirts to show off their undergarments. The staging was simple, yet effective. As multicolored lights played across two dozen dancers' bodies, a huge, metallic disk constructed of scaffolding loomed behind the artists, where images from films and other visuals were projected. Esha Deol opened the show with a clever "invocation" in classical dance that moments later segued into a well-danced set of contemporary hits including "Tauba Tauba" and Yuva's "Badal." Deol's sporty demeanor and willing smile made a fitting lead-in to the equally youthful Zayed Khan, who made up for his modest dancing skills with plenty of brash attitude and a stockpile of hit songs, from "Dus bahane" to "Chale jaise hawaien" and "Tumse milke" from Main Hoon Na. Mallika Sherawat, sporting veils that were quickly peeled off by the background dancers, proved to be missing some of the spark and grace of her sexy onscreen persona - though her music selections did keep a high-energy momentum, whether a remix of "Love to love you," "Aaja aaja paas mere" or "Bachke rehna re baba" set to a throbbing techno beat. The biggest surprise of the evening was Shahid Kapur, who emerged from a common perception as just another pretty boy to prove himself as a charismatic star with lightning-quick moves and a smile bright enough to shine into the back rows of the arena. Kapur's entrance was heralded by sound effects (a deafening car crash and sirens), visuals of grinding gears, and dancers in stiff, robotic poses dressed as some sort of 22nd century supercops - all way over the top, a motif that Kapur seemed to dismiss with his first moments onstage. He struck a pose, licked his lips, grinned, and swept off his jacket before launching into a challenging and beautifully executed dance segment to songs from Ishq Vishq Pyar Vyar to the audience's surprise and delight, demonstrating that Kapur (the son of actors Pankaj Kapur and Nilima Azim) is no mere star kid - we were seeing a genuine star in the making. Kareena Kapoor's entrance was preceded by a video that emphasized her feminine, elegant side, shot in dreamy slow-motion. As a background of shimmering stars shone softly behind her, the star - in full diva mode - emerged onstage in a filmy fuschia gown set with silver sequins, as dancers twirled under an ultraviolet beam. Kapoor's moves were dainty and gentle, whether set to a sultry beat of "Gila gila" (Aitraaz), or the more upbeat "You are my Sonia" and "Hone do dil ko fanaa," and she closed her segment with a dignified namaste. The fans' frenzy peaked with the anticipation of the arrival of megamodel John Abraham. A cacophony of roaring motorcycle sounds and booms worked the crowd into hysterics just before his grand entrance, tearing through a curtain and revving onto the stage on a bright yellow Suzuki motorcycle. Fans shrieked as he slowly raised one leg to dismount, all six feet of sculpted, manly star power, his bare chest and flawless abdomen on display. Dressed in ripped jeans and a long, distressed leather jacket, Abraham peered out into the crowd from behind his lanky long bangs and dark glasses, taking a few moments to soak up the love, before he started to gyrate to songs such as "Dhoom machale," "Zinda hoon main" and "Ada." The segment ended as the female dancers lined up across the stage and on cue, flipped around and bent over to display Abraham's name, embossed in sequined letters across their rear ends. Later, Abraham invited a female fan from the audience to recreate romantic moments from his debut film, Jism. Salman Khan's entrance was milked for as much suspense as possible. Before he came onstage, we were treated to a truly surreal video outlining the star's recent run-ins with the law and his seemingly noble, stately approach to greeting fans on his release after three nights in jail. As an introspective piano solo played in the background, slow-motion video portrayed fans waving signs outside the jail, reading "I love you Salman" and "Injustice Vs. Salman Khan," as the star waved and blew kisses to the crowd, at one point even peeling off his shirt and tossing it to his fans. Such a poignant, if puzzling, introduction was calculated to make the star's real onstage intro that much more dynamic - Khan hit the stage to the sounds of "Just chill" and an apocalyptic hail of fireworks. Khan turned in a sexy performance to songs such as "Chori chori chupke chupke," "No entry" and remixed, Bollywoodized versions of "Billie Jean" and other Western dance songs - hips thrusting while the music's pulsating beat pounded behind him. The dancers, dressed like can-can dancers from the Moulin Rouge, kept the beat as Khan performed to some of his best-loved megahit songs, "Aaja soniye," "Number one Punjabi," "O o jaane jana." Later, he indulged fans by answering a few questions from the audience, and said, "Thank you for all your love and support. If it weren't for you guys, I wouldn't be here." The stars returned to the stage for an enjoyable series of duets and sketches, including one light-hearted romp to "Mujhe shaadi karogi" that found Abraham and Khan battling it out over Kapoor until incurable romantic Shahid Kapur (her real-life sweetie) whisked her off her feet. The entire cast continued with more hit songs, such as "Hum dil de chuke sanam," "Main yahaan hoon," "Toh lut gaye," "Janam samjha karo," "Hello brother," "Tujhe dekha to yeh jaana sanam," "Chand chupa badal mein" and "Suraj hua madham." The ensemble wrapped up the show with a spirited version of "Rang de basanti," as a storm of confetti fluttered from the ceiling. The May 27 show was presented by Super Entertainment Inc., and the May 28 show by Paul Singh and Singh Entertainment. |
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