It was a riveting musical eve when the crowd of the city was seen swinging frenziedly to the beats of the celebrated Bollywood trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. The ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’ of Hindi film music, who came to the city to perform live with the winner of ‘Idea Rocks India’, a talent hunt show, took the audience under a spell, when they performed some of their best numbers and other popular songs, at Marine Drive Grounds on Sunday.
Shankar Mahadevan, who was looking dapper in a blue blazer, was the cynosure of all eyes. With his witty one-liners and his unparalleled music, he easily took the audience in his hands. The singer, who is a Malayali by origin, has been seen by Keralites in various avatars, of late. “I have been frequently visiting Kerala, the God’s Own Country, as a playback singer, music show judge, fusion singer, and what not, for the past few years,” he said.
Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa, the lead guitarist and the keyboardist were also equally astounding.
The show which opened with the Ganesha Mantra, ‘Vakratunda Mahakay Suryakoti Samaprabha....’ soon became absorbing, with the trio performing some of their evergreen numbers. They sizzled the cheering crowd with ‘Koi Kahe Kehta Rahe....’ from ‘Dil Chahta Hai’, which was a turning point in the career of the national award winning trio. They also sung the title song of the film, ‘Dil Chahta Hai..’.
The numbers which made the audience go berserk were Sajda ..Teri kaali ankhiyon se.. from My Name is Khan, Morya Re... from Don, Pretty Woman.. from Kal Ho Na Ho, Oo aa, take the world and paint it red... from Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. Shankar Mahadevan also wooed the crowd with his hit Malayalam songs, ‘Kalyana Kacheri...’ from ‘Madambi’ and ‘Dosa Nalloru Dosa...’ from ‘Kammath & Kammath’.
Along with the trio’s power-packed show, the evening also saw the performance of other singers of the Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy band and percussion artists from various parts of the country including Mumbai and Rajasthan. Dr Roopesh N, the winner of the talent show from the state, also sung along with the trio.