An Offbeat Musical show – a Super Hit

Due to a surge in Karaoke musical shows, auditoriums in Thane are either partially empty or filled with invitees with complimentary passes. But a recent karaoke show named Kishore Fans vs. Rafi Fans – Ek Mukaddama on November 11 in Kashinath Ghanekar mini auditorium had proved otherwise and was a sort of box office hit.

The organisers could not cater to the surging demand for tickets since they were sold out in advance thanks to their pre-show Facebook publicity. According to the producer of the musical show, Sameer Odeyar, karaoke shows have increased by leaps and bounds since they are less expensive than live orchestra shows. They are either financed by the singers themselves or powered by sponsors. But going off the beaten path makes a difference. You attract a lot of attention by presenting a different kettle of fish. And that’s how Rafi vs. Kishore – Ek Mukaddama show became an instant hit with music lovers. The show‘s popularity could be gauged from the fact that it was overbooked, and a couple standing at the auditorium’s entrance with a placard requesting the show tickets (because tickets were sold out) summed up the demand for the show.

Mohd. Rafi and Kishore Kumar have enthralled generations of music lovers for years together with their singing. This has led to a strong army of Kishore fans, Rafi fans, or both. Tapping into this sentiment, RETRO LOVERS and SURTAAL MUSIC ACADEMY presented a novel and unique musical programme, Kishore Fans vs. Rafi Fans-Ek Muqadma, on November 11 at Dr. Kashinath Ghanekar mini auditorium. The programme was presented in a courtroom format, and the anchors-Shruti and Mrudula Odeyar, carried the programme with great aplomb.

The professional team of singers delighted the audience with a masterful rendition of each number. The songs rendered by the singers-Vinod Kumar (mentor and teacher at Surtaal Music Academy), Sushmita Yadav, Aruna Yadav, Kajal Panchmatia, Shailaja Balamurali, Mahesh Hunswadkar, Sandeep Raikar, Amit Nikharge, and Sameer drew loud cheers and applause, and an unprecedented number of songs got once more requests.

Among the people who attended the programme, Jagdish Parekh, a music lover and a keen follower of music programmes, noted that the selection of songs was unique and not the usual run-of-the-mill songs. Bipasa Basu, a singer herself, was quite in awe of the concept and the script and the format were entirely unexpected. The sound arrangement and the courtroom setting on stage also added to the programme’s success.

-Raghavendra Odeyar