Calcutta, kya aap logon ko pata hai ki aap kitne pyaare hain? Jab bhi hum yahan pe aaye hain, woh aap logon ka pyaar hai jo humko kheench ke le aataa hai... Wish a very Happy New Year to all of you! — Atif Aslam on stage
Just before the show, t2 caught the show-stealer backstage. Excerpts from the chat...
On performing in India
It feels absolutely great coming back! It feels very overwhelming for me to visit India, because the fans here are completely different from the rest of the world.
On Calcutta
I have always enjoyed coming here. I loved the crowd and celebrating the New Year moment with fans and my band members on stage was a treat. Calcutta has a special place in my heart.
On his band members
Sameer on the bass has an amazing sense of humour. Salmad and Asif are my other guitarists. Salman is a fantastic drummer. Jonathan (who is from Calcutta) plays the keyboard and piano. I had met Jonathan a couple of years ago. He is a fantastic player and a great artiste.
On his nine-month-old son Ahad
Oh, he is my boss! I’m missing him.
On biryani
I love biryani. Nothing beats ghar ki biryani, be it India or Pakistan. In India, I love the Hyderabadi biryani.
On Dhoni
He is one of my favourites. I am sad that he has announced his retirement (from Test cricket). Nothing beats his stubbornness on the pitch. And the way he has introduced the helicopter shot... I am a fan of that!
On going big on big screen
I am going through some scripts. But they are all about commercial cinema. I am taking my time.
His New Year resolution
My New Year resolution is not to give gyaan but to keep learning as a person and evolving as an artiste while doing what I have done for the last 10 years, touching hearts around the world with my voice and bringing people together across cultures, borders and boundaries, in a positive manner through my lyrics and melodies.
ATIF’S PLAYLIST
Woh lamhe, Doorie, Bakhuda tumhi ho, Tera hone laga hoon,O jaane jaa, Gulabi aankhein, Jeene laga hoon, Tere bin mai nyu kaise jiya, Main rang sharbaton ka, Tu jaane na and Juda ho ke bhi
DJ Prateek
MOOD & MUSIC
Aaaaatif... Aaaaatif... Aaaatif... — roared the 2,500-strong crowd at Cerebrum, the party hub in Vedic Village, as they waited for the Pakistani singer to set foot on stage. Hundreds of hands raised in the air, with phone cameras ready to click their heart-throb. And boy, did Atif Aslam work up a frenzy as he walked up to the middle stage and strummed his guitar! Woh lamhe, woh baatein.. he crooned and thousands sang along to usher in 2015 at Atif Aslam Live in Concert, presented by GreenTechCity in association with t2.
Before and after Atif’s high-voltage gig, DJ Prateek from Delhi made sure that even the laziest people got grooving — first with Bolly numbers such as Abhi to party shuru hui hai, London thumakda, Lovely, Saturday Saturday and Sunny sunny, and later (post-midnight) with EDM featuring artistes like Avicii, Martin Garrix, Steve Angello and Swedish House Mafia.
SIP & BITE
Unlimited helpings of finger food like Mutton Shami Kebab, Murgh Kalmi Kebab, Cocktail Samosa and Veg Cutlet with premium alcoholic beverages kept the revellers happy. The dessert counter of the dinner buffet comprising pulao, pasta and biryani besides chicken, mutton and fish preparations drew the maximum crowd, especially for the mudpie cake and hot gulab jamuns. “Wine and whisky were the pop picks. We also had Prefunc, an organic anti-hangover drink to keep people fresh in the morning,” said F&B manager Suvendu Pal Chowdhury.
FAN MOMENT
Do you see the man hugging Atif Aslam on stage? That’s Muzammil from Delhi who came with his girlfriend Shilpa “only for Atif Aslam”.
“I am a crazy, crazy fan of Atif. I don’t have the words to describe how much I love him,” said Muzammil, whom t2 spotted puffing on a hookah before his “hero” came on stage.
When you travel from Chhattisgarh to Calcutta only to listen to Atif Aslam, “ek selfie to banta hai”! t2 captured Raipur residents Amit Ahuja, wife Pooja and their two-year-old daughter Aarna in a selfie hug. “We came only to watch Atif perform live. He is such a great singer and this is the best way to usher in the New Year,” said Amit.
ORGANISER SPEAK
Vedic Village is where people would like to have a drink, sit down, enjoy the party and listen to good music. And Atif is the perfect artiste for that
— Uday Modi, Director, GreenTechCity and Vedic Village.
Whoever attended this party will definitely look forward to next year’s bash. They now know that there cannot be a better party in city
— Prateek Tulsiyan, Director, GreenTechCity
SHE WAS WEARING: Maxi dresses and LBDs were favoured by the pretty revellers at Vedic Village. Red and black were the usual favourites, while coral green stood out in a sea of bling. A touch of metal, be it on the shoes or the shawl, was a must for many a stylista.
Jain sisters Vishakha, Aishwarya and Shreya sported the maxi dress with Aishwarya adding a headchain co-ordinated with the floral print on the coral green body of her dress. The belt with the metallic finish added a nice visual dimension to the look.
Azreen Khan, a Class VIII student of Mahadevi Birla World Academy, dressed in blue from tip to toe. Don’t miss the cute retro headgear!
Manjari Tibrewal accessorised her nautical striped maxi dress with a red shrug and a Juicy Couture messenger bag. We heart the snood. #comfortnstyle
