Hey Bollywood fans, fancy a trip down memory lane? This weekend a group of acclaimed singers will take Hindi music lovers on a journey through some of the genre’s best-loved and most memorable numbers – and make a song and dance about it. The event, called Musical Journey, to be held at Crowne Plaza Dubai on Thursday, is a salute to Indian cinema, which recently celebrated 100 years since the first silent film was released. (Bear in mind though, that Bollywood, while hugely influential, is only a small part of the Indian film industry).
Starting with music from the ’50s all the way to current hits interspersed with narration by Marathi actor Rahul Solapurkar, best known for his baddie roles, the performance will feature a medley of 101 songs (the extra one for good luck) from Bollywood. Think musical greats Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Mohammad Rafi and Manna Dey.
There will also be multi-media elements as the hits are played on screen, and performers including 2009 Indian reality singing show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa winner Hrishikesh Ranade, dress up as the characters they’re voicing.
Expect lots of colours, a bit of drama and kitsch-y dance moves.
Here are some of the performers:
Hrishikesh Ranade
This singer from the Indian city of Pune made his name as the winner of reality singing show Sa Re Ga Ma Pa in 2009 and has been touring the world since. Coming from a family of musicians, classically-trained Ranade is best known for his renditions of hit Bollywood songs from the ’60s, often referred to as the golden era of Hindi film music.
Priyanka Barve
Coming from a musical family that spans two generations, Barve, a classically-trained singer, has sung for a number of Marathi films and has a number of solo albums to her credit. She has also performed for the former Indian president Pratibha Patil and still actively sings for films.
Rahul Solapurkar
This stage and film actor is best known for his roles as a baddie in a number of Marathi films. For Musical Journey, Solapurkar will take audiences through the various decades of Bollywood music and explain the historical relevance of songs in the 100 years of Indian cinema.
Don’t miss it:
Musical Journey is on at the Crowne Plaza hotel, Shaikh Zayed Road, Dubai, on Thursday. Tickets are priced at Dh350 and Dh250 (both inclusive of dinner), and Dh150 and Dh100. Show begins at 9pm. For reservations, call 050-6549100 or 055-6549100.
