Melody queen leaves audience cold

But there was little applause and even lesser participation from the crowd gathered at the show. Blame it on the heat or poor promotional strategy of the organisers, but the stadium with the seating capacity of 15,000 was laced with empty rows of seats, especially in the VIP and VVIP sections.

Scheduled for 8 pm strictly’ as the tickets stated — the programme took off only by 9.30 pm with the popular Asha number Dil cheez kya hai. The voice was bewitching and the spirits high. Then the R D Burman-Asha Bhonsle hits such as O Mere Sona Re (Teesri Manzil), Dum Maro Dum (Hare Rama Hare Krishna), Raat Akeli Hai (Jewel Thief) followed suit.

Interspersed between her songs were songs of the other melody queens namely, Noor Jahan, Shamshad Begum, Geeta Dutt and also Lata Mangeshkar. “The motive,” as Ashaji explained, “is not to copy these singers but show you how they influenced my style.” The novel concept clicked, judging by the applause for the performance.

Hip swinging, youthful numbers dominated round two. Figuring in the list were chartbusters from Rangeela, Dil Wale Dulhaniya Le Jayenege and the award-winning title track of Ashaji’s pop album Janam Samjha Karo. A Gujarati garba song followed by single-line renderings of Punjabi and Marathi songs came by demand.

Among the other highlights of the night were the film numbers by budding artiste Babul Supriyo and some excellent performances by the dance troupe accompanying Asha Bhonsle.

Surprisingly, the mood remained passive with the exception of the occasional clamour of the backstanders. Despite the vibrant voice and thumping music, young and old alike chose to be confined to their seats. The enterprising few who broke into a dance were “put into place” by the lathi-wielding security guards.

Scene at the stadium
Event managers from Unirapport and Xperts had a harrowing time controlling a hungry and thirsty audience before the Asha Bhonsle night took off on Sunday. Though water bottles and food items were not allowed into the stadium, an organiser said the four stalls set up by sponsors Thums-Up had been provided with food and drinks. Members of the audience, however, refuted the claim. “They only stocked Coke and Thums-Up — no water or food,” pointed out one of them.

Given the high temperature and humidity, their anger seemed justified. Moreover, those in the stadium were initially barred from going out till the show ended. It was only after much haggling, that the organisers relented and let them out, though only once. The relieved audience immediately made a beeline for the closest foodstuff stalls.