Singer Shreya Ghoshal Sizzles at Sensational Concert
National Award-winning playback singer Shreya Ghoshal sizzled at a sold-out concert rendering her latest Bollywood hits at the San Jose Center for the Performing Arts here Oct. 7. Her melodious voice enchanted the more than 4,000 people in the auditorium, leaving them craving for more.
TheAmerican Association of Physicians of Indian Origin and Prince Holding presented the concert, along with the Association of Physicians of Indian Origin and Indian Physicians Association of Central California.
“My congratulations to Dr. Narendra Kumar, president of AAPI, whose vision and leadership has helped immensely in the successful launch of the nine-city Shreya Ghoshal musical mega tour,” Dr. Hemant Dhingra, regional director of AAPI Pacific, told India-West. “I would also like to thank Dr. Akhil Wadhera, chair of the organizing committee and president of AAPI, Northern California, for all the hard work over the past six months to put this together,” Dhingra added.
Jeffrey Iqbal, winner of “SaReGaMa USA” in 2008, anchored the evening’s performances, introducing the vocalists and musicians on stage. He even took on a solo act during the half-time, delighting the audience as he broke into a song and dance, with hits like “Mitwa” from the Shahrukh Khan movie “Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna” and the Bollywood qawwali classic “Parda Hai Parda” from the Amitabh Bachchan starrer “Amar Akhbar Anthony.”
The Bay area’s Sangeeta Shinoy rendered a semi-classical Bollywood number from yesteryears, commencing the evening’s vocal performances. Prithvi Gandharva, a disciple of the legendary musician Hariharan, performed next, masterfully rendering Sufi-styled hits like “Ishq Sufiana” and “Dum Mast Kalandar” that set the mood for the evening.
Shreya Ghoshal then made her dramatic entrance, taking center stage singing the melodious “Teri Meri” from the Salmaan Khan starrer “Bodyguard.” She followed this hit song with Bollywood love ballads like “Chalo Tumko Lekar Chale” from the movie “Jism” and “Vaada Raha” from the Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Akshay Kumar film “Khaki,” as the first segment of the concert was filled with many such romantic treats from her ‘love songs’ repertoire.
“I’ve probably sung enough love songs to earn a Ph.D.,” Ghoshal quipped. “I’m going to share a few of them with you from my treasure box.”
The popular singer then dedicated her version of “Lag Ja Gale” to the living legend and her idol, Lata Mangeshkar. She then graciously thanked the audience for their support over the years singing “Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.”
The audience appeared spellbound by Ghoshal’s mellifluous voice and diverse vocal range.
Following the interval, Ghoshal stepped it up a notch, rocking the crowd with peppy item numbers like “Chikni Chameli” from “Agneepath” and “Zoobie Doobie” from “3 Idiots.” Prithvi supported with male vocals, while Mumbai-based Rishi and his dance crew grooved to aptly choreographed compositions with synchronized moves.
By popular demand, Ghoshal also sang “Dola Re” from the movie “Devdas,” which she credited as the song that launched her career as a playback singer. That year she won the National Film Award and the Filmfare Award for best female playback singer.
Ever since 2002, Shreya Ghoshal has lent her vocals to almost every leading Bollywood actress from all the hit movies and created melodies for all ages to enjoy.
“I come from a reality television background that recognizes budding talents and inspires them to pursue something big,” Ghoshal noted before she sang the title track of the popular television show “Bade Ache Lagte Ho.” “Every year I find myself involved in one or the other television talent show,” she added.
In 2000, it was as a contestant on “SaReGaMa” that Ghoshal caught the eye of veteran director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, and got her a big break with “Devdas.” Now, when she is not busy recording or touring, she serves as a judge on shows like “X Factor (India)” and “Star Voice of India.”
In the final segment, Ghoshal sang regional favorites from her collection in Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Marathi, Punjabi and Gujarati, receiving repeated requests for encores from the audience, which she happily obliged.
“I think the high point in my career was when I got a chance to sing for legendary music composer A.R. Rehman,” Ghoshal observed. “If there is one song that I would want to die singing it would be this haunting melody, “Munbe Vaa,” from “Sillunu Oru Kaadhal,” she added.
In her final song of the evening, Ghoshal seamlessly transitioned from the Bengali “Ami Je Tomar” to “Mere Dholna,” from the Akshay Kumar and Vidya Balan movie “Bhool Bhulaiya,” rendering it to perfection.
“Her voice is amazing and she sings such difficult songs so effortlessly, it’s just out of this world,” Ketaki Tawde, an Indian American resident of Fresno, told India-West. “I’d love to come again for her next show, it is so entertaining.”
The sponsors were extremely satisfied with the response at the show as well. “We’ve always had a close relationship with AAPI and Dr. Narendra Kumar. When we learnt about this opportunity, we decided to support them in all the cities, and it has been extremely educational and very productive,” Par Prem Kumar, associate director at American University of Antigua, a platinum sponsor, told India-West. “We hope to see many collaborations like this in the future,” Prem Kumar added.
The San Jose show was the closing performance for Shreya Ghoshal and her ensemble, whose national promoter was Shri Balaji Entertainment, after delivering power-packed performances in Charlotte, New York, Columbus, Orlando, Houston, Atlanta, Washington, DC and Dallas.
Oct 12, 2012 – SAN JOSE, United States by indiawest.com
