Mika lands on the Maitri Sangha stage. (right) Bipasha Basu. (Saradindu Chaudhury and Sukriti Agarwal)

Singer Mika Singh took stage at BF Park half an hour late but even at 11pm almost the entire audience had stayed back to watch him perform.

The event was a Kali puja function on November 5 organised by Salt Lake Maitri Sangha starring Mika, Zubeen Garg and Sadhana Sargam. Actress Bipasha Basu put in a surprise appearance.

The park was jam-packed. The organisers claimed that more than 3,000 people had turned up with many struggling till the last minute to secure passes for the front seats.

Massive screens, pulsating laser lights, fireworks and smoke machines turned what would be a simple venue into a vibrant and mesmerising one. The show started with Zubeen Garg singing numbers from Krrish 3, Bengali songs like Mon mane na and his popular song Ya Ali.

Next came a peek-a-boo appearance by Bipasha Basu. “I studied in Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. Salt Lake has developed so much since then. The city has always been special to me,” she said. Despite the audience whistling in excitement, Bipasha left in six minutes. Aniruddha Biswas, a resident of AH Block, was disappointed: “I was really happy to see her but was hoping she would perform.”

Next came Sadhana Sargam, who started her performance with her songs Pehla Nasha from Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar and Har kisi ko nahi milta from Janbaaz. She also sang yesteryear hits like Neele neele ambar and O mere sona re.

Finally, came the much awaited performance by Mika and his band OCP (Out of Control Punjabis). Fans of all ages clapped, waved and danced as the 36-year-old sang songs like Mauja hi mauja and Dekha jo tujhe yaar while dancing on stage. Apni toh jaise taise, Pyar ki pungi baja kar and Rani tu mein raja had the audience screaming for more.

Sreeja Banerjee, a first year student of Presidency College, couldn’t stop herself from dancing on the grounds. “I am a huge fan of Mika’s. My favourite song is his Tu mera hero,” she said.

Singing all requests that came his way, Mika finally concluded the show close to midnight. Chairperson of the organising committee, Indrani Dutta, said: “This is the biggest event in Salt Lake. People from all over the city have come to watch this.”