Sports
IPL-8 opening: Bollywood to add glitter to 'India Ka Tyohar' (Preview)
By
Sahana GhoshKolkata, April 6
Brace for dazzling lights and
laser projections shooting straight-off from the ground at the Salt
Lake Stadium for a replay of the magical moments from past Indian
Premier League (IPL) editions as a fresh chapter of the cash-rich
Twenty20 tournament gets going with a glitzy opening jamboree that
unites the world of cricket with blockbuster Bollywood here on Tuesday.
Setting
the stage for the eighth edition of the league will be tinsel town's
stars -- Hrithik Roshan, Shahid Kapoor and Anushka Sharma -- in what is
being pitched as the 'India ka Tyohar' (Festival of India).
The
two-hour inaugural aims to charm the audience with a festive feel and
includes a special segment dedicated to defending champions Kolkata
Knight Riders (KKR). It also incorporates more glimpses of cricket than
the previous inaugurals.
Despite the absence of superstar Shah
Rukh Khan, a regular at the inaugurals, or any foreign artist, Roshan
Abbas's Encompass Events promises a "different" and "global" experience
that will entertain all. The Kolkata connect will not be forgotten.
Around
400 performers (including 300 locals) will be involved in the stellar
opener choreographed by Remo D'Souza and Santosh Shetty that will see
eight-to-ten-minute performances by Hrithik, Shahid and Anushka
(cricketer Virat Kohli's beau) on a mash-up of popular Bollywood dance
tracks.
Incidentally, this is Hrithik's second live show in
Kolkata after a gap of 15 years while the city hosted its last IPL
inaugural in 2013.
Actor-director Farhan Akhtar will belt out
songs with his band while actor Saif Ali Khan, Indian cricketing legend
Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi's son, will host the show and introduce the
cricketers and stars.
All eight team captains will grace the
occasion to take the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) Spirit of Cricket
pledge. KKR skipper Gautam Gambhir will put the trophy back in play,
signalling the start of the 2015 season. However, the "hero" of the show
will be the eye-popping floor projections.
"The hero of the show
are the floor projections through which the evolution of IPL will be
narrated. It will offer a glimpse into the winning teams, the cricketers
and what the league means to people. The camaraderie between cricketers
of different countries while playing together in a single team will be
in focus," Encompass vice-president Chanda Singh told IANS.
The "tight and seamless" script will incorporate both Bollywood and cricket and will appeal to global viewers.
"The
content will be in English and will be in sync with the spirit of the
IPL song 'India Ka Tyohar'. The choreography would be Bollywood style,"
Chanda said.
Composer Pritam is in charge of the music that will
start-off with a chorus of Rabindra Sangeet and move on to a mix of some
of his hits including 'Badtameez dil' and 'Balam pichkari'.
D'Souza's
song list has chart-toppers from 'Bang Bang!' and 'Dhoom' for Hrithik;
'PK' and 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan' for Anushka and 'R... Rajkumar' and
'Kaminey' for Shahid.
As last minute preparations continue in full swing, Chanda said they are hoping rain doesn't play spoilsport.
"We
are keeping our fingers crossed since the show will be in open air and
will be visible to global audiences because of the presence of
international cricketers," Chanda said.