Port-of-Spain, June 22 (IANS) It’s billed as ‘The Unforgettable Tour’. Indian Hindi film icon Amitabh Bachchan, his son and beautiful daughter-in-law along with a bevy of other Bollywood actors are to perform in Trinidad and Tobago next month – a show that everyone here is looking forward to.
The Unforgettable Tour assembles for the first time on stage, Amitabh, his son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, former Miss World 1994, at the Queen’s Park Oval on Sunday July 20. The historical tour will also feature Akshay Kumar, Preity Zinta and Riteish Deshmukh. The show is to be choreographed by Shiamak Davar, with music provided by Vishal-Shekar.
The Trinidad and Tobago sojourn of India’s premier entertainers will be a continuation of hits in Toronto, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, New York, London and Amsterdam.
Sales of tickets will begin next week and the unique concert is expected to draw audiences from across the region, as Trinidad and Tobago is the only Caribbean venue to be included on the show’s international itinerary. Patrons from Guyana, Suriname, Martinique, Jamaica, New York, Michigan and Miami are expected to fill the seats.
Billionaire business entrepreneur and investor Lawrence Duprey, announcing the event, told the media: “It is an investment in honouring the culture and heritage of Trinidad and Tobago and the Caribbean, taking what is unique about us to the world, and bringing cultural experiences from around the world here to enrich our own experiences.”
Duprey, CLICO executive chairman, said: “As we continue to support the sons and daughters of our culture – CLICO Sforzata Steel Orchestra, CLICO Shiv Shakti Dance Troupe, the Plymouth Jazz Festival, we also support culture regionally and internationally.”
CLICO’s Shiv Shakti Dance Troupe will also be on stage to add a local performance.
Within recent years, several of India’s top entertainers have been coming here, organised by Universal Concerts Limited which has now become a household name in selecting the premier of Bollywood stars to hit the local stage.
For Valentine’s Day Feb 14, Indian star singer Zubeen Garg enthralled the local audience. This show was co-ordinated by local radio and television announcer and cultural promoter, Rafi Mohammed.
Then for Mother’s Day, May 11, Udit Narayan and Kumar Sanu gave separate shows, both of which were fully patronised.
The selection of the Queen’s Park Oval, home for West Indian cricket, for the Bachchan show is likely to see the presence of 30,000 patrons, and scores of media houses.
Since 1964, Indian musicians, dancers and singers have been coming to Trinidad and Tobago to re-link with the Indian diaspora, which had its genesis in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, among other areas. They came here to work on the sugar and cocoa plantations, but continue to pay allegiance to Indian movies and songs and dances.
Between 1964 to date, everyone of India’s top stars have performed here, including Manna Dey, Mohammed Rafi, Mukesh, Asha Bhonsle, Hemant Kumar, Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar and later also Shah Rukh Khan.
— By Paras Ramoutar
