Apart from the high that stars got on stage, off stage too it was quite some fun, especially for Riteish Deshmukh. On his visit to a neighbourhood casino, he went on to make as much as 5000 dollars for himself and that too in mere 10 minutes. Shekhar wasn't that lucky though since he ended up poorer by 500 dollars. Well, koyi jeeta koyi haara!
There is an interesting anecdote around Om Shanti Om. While in India the film saw its satellite premiere over the weekend gone by, far off in USA as well the film made its presence felt. Apparently, as Vishal and his band chose to travel in their bus while enjoying a road trip from New York to Atlantic City, the driver chose to play Om Shanti Om. Though everyone was aware about the merits and credentials of the film, the local bodyguards of Vishal were taken by surprise when they detected the composer in his one scene act (Readers may remember that Vishal played the role of an assistant director in the second half of the film).
Coming to the show, it boasted of a 14000 odd strong crowd. Yet again, there were million odd obstacles which came in way of the stars before they set their feet on stage. However, it was collective will of each of them which made sure that not a single shoulder sagged and no dip in morale was evidenced. Backing each other in the worst of adversities, it was time for stars to come up with yet another 'paisa vasool' entertainment.
Well, 'paisa vasool' entertainment it certainly was for the audience, though more so for a section of crowd which was seated at a strategic point from where backstage was visible. While performance of a particular star was on at the stage, the others stood behind the scenes and kept themselves entertained. The same happened when Big B was holding the centre-stage. As Abhishek, Madhuri, Ash, Preity, Vishal, Shekhar and Riteish were jumping and dancing around in their green room, one of them realized that they all were visible to the audience!
For a moment, they were taken aback since this was least expected. However, realizing that this particular section of crowd was thrilled to see their off-stage antics, Abhishek got into his trademark prankster mode and started pegging the audience. While he was having fun with his fans, he even pulled in Ash who was oblivious to all the happening. The moment she was conned into being exposed from backstage, it was but natural for the audience to go completely mad. No wonder, at any point of time, there were two streams of cheering happening - one for the man/woman on stage and other for those who were back stage.
Meanwhile high energy continued to be the strong point at Atlantic City as well. While Amitabh Bachchan was performing, Vishal and Shekhar along with Abhishek and Riteish joined him for an impromptu act. Abhishek went a step ahead and pegged Ash and Preity to have a closer look at the performance while only ending up in pushing them on the stage right in front of the audience. And all of this when the ladies just didn't see it coming! It was time for some point-in-time act out there.
There were some on-stage mishaps though which seemed to be slightly threatening. Vishal fell on his injured knee (yet again, he has a long history in terms of minor accidents) and got into a horrible stage where he couldn't even move on stage. He did go ahead with a round of painkillers and thankfully the damage didn't turn out to be overtly serious. However, this was one situation which he really wanted to avoid on this long tour.
For Preity Zinta it was turning out to be a special evening since Vishal and Shekhar dropped Dil Dance Maare to accommodate the title song of Salaam Namaste as a part of their performance. While Preity indeed wanted to join them on stage for the chartbuster number from her film, she could not since she was dressed up for the Bhoombhro act which was to follow next. Wearing a Kashmiri outfit for a beach song didn't quite seem to fit into the scheme of things after all!
From the Saturday night fever at Atlantic City, the stars headed for Chicago where the event was waiting to kick start in less than 24 hours. It was time for some quick rest to be followed by yet another evening of glitz, glamour and energy!
Chicago gig
This time around, the word 'Unforgettable' was more suited for the stars themselves than the audience. Reason? News of Abhinav Bindra winning an Olympic Gold spread like a wild fire and though everyone out there was elated, the man who was seen celebrating most was none other than Amitabh Bachchan. He wasn't making any effort whatsoever to conceal his excitement and was more than vocal in letting everyone know about him being overjoyed at India's moment of pride!
Talking about Olympics, apart from performing on stage (obviously) and blogging (obviously...again!), Amitabh Bachchan is constantly cued in on all the recent happenings at the biggest sporting event. He is watching the sport in all the time available to him and is not just aware about everything interesting which is happening on a day to day basis but also well versed with the medal tally and the works. He was as excited as a child the moment news broke about Bindra winning Gold Medal for the country.
Meanwhile on stage, he was doing his part and winning his audience time and again. A cast was spell on Chicago crowd as Big B continued to pull something or the other out of his magic hat. Hit dialogues from his yesteryear films, trademark dance step of Jahaan Teri Yeh Nazar Hai, the title track from Don - everything just added on to spellbind the audience.
For the first time in the US leg of the tour, there was no Madhuri Dixit to join the stars. However, youngsters took it on them along with Big B to ensure that her absence was compensated for by their bravura act. It was a small venue which could accommodate 9000 people but the buzz is that an additional 2000 paved their way into the venue. Yet another night. Yet another event. And some more magic!
The venue boasted of huge production values and as stated by quite a few members from the audience as well as promoters, the city had never witnessed any Bollywood show like this before. LED screens were all over with special electronic curtains creating a surreal feel. Wizcraft, people behind 'Unforgettable', were in their complete elements here and they put their Commonwealth Games experience to full use here. The stars are especially excited about the man named Paul who has come up with a fantabulous job while playing the role of an outstanding technician.
Talking of people behind the stage, Vishal can't ever forget a lady by the name of Noreen! It could have been one messy Sunday but Noreen ensured that there was no letdown whatsoever. Read on to know what really happened!
Apparently, Vishal's costumes went missing and there was no time to launch a search. Reason? The show had to begin at 7:00 PM and it was already 6:20 PM. Stationed at his hotel, Vishal had to get something on to suit the mood of the stage and performance. This is where Noreen came to his rescue! She took him to a nearby mall and used her fashion experience to the fullest. In 20 minutes flat, she along with Vishal ran from one store to another, picked up stuff, didn't bother trying them out, dumped them into one huge bag and rushed to the venue. Of course, it was a fun of a different kind which Vishal got out of the entire experience.
Meanwhile buzz continues to be high all over the USA, courtesy an aggressive promotion and publicity which is happening in New York - the epicenter of all the action. At Times Square, every 5 minutes there is an advertisement of 'Unforgettable' which has been playing throughout the tour duration. Now that's quite a high for the troupe since this prominent advertising junction has been witness to some of the top international stars enjoying this kind of coverage.
After all the weekend fun, it is time to chill out, relax, watch some films and hang out in general for all the stars. From here, it is going to be Independence Day celebrations with New York being a witness to an 'Unforgettable' concert slated to take place on 15th August.