Daler Da Dhamaka For Jalwa

In primitive society, Man jumping up and down, beating the ground with sticks and yelling out was called witchcraft. These days it's called an evening out - and we enjoy it terribly! (And we'd better, considering we drove 30 miles out of town to witness the latest 'dhamaka' of Hyderabad!)

Presented by Tata Cellular and sponsored by Pepsi, 'Daler Da Dhamaka' had all the potential to loosen you up in the energetically synchronized disassembly. The scintillating lights and the high pitched drum beats did nothing to disorient Daler and his fans (though they certainly bring about a last minute evacuation campaign among the animal population of the area!).

Starting with an initial warm-up medley from the Kishore Kumar collection and other old time 60s hit numbers like 'Chura Liya Hai Tumne Jo Dil', the Bhangra Pop King slowly took the anticipative audience to a frenzied 'Na-Na-Re-Na'. His own songs 'Chhui Mui', 'Ruh Tadapti Hai' and 'Lahariya Dupatta', of course, had the crowd dancing to his tunes.

It is said that middle age is a time when the broadness of the mind and the narrowness of the waist interchange places. But certainly not here - in the dancing arena, people of all ages and sizes were caught in the contagious act!

Present on the occasion were Tourism Minister T Srinivas Yadav and Sanghi of 'Vaarta', who, too, were relieved of their eminence and got to shake a leg or two on stage. However, Daler has acquired excellence in that department, too. His trademark one-legged Bhangra step and his miraculously changing designer jackets, as also the fast-paced use of his vocal organs, created 'Har Taraf Jalwa'.

Daler's long lasting association with the famed classical 'Patiala gharana' forms the underpinnings of his melodiously blended songs. In his own words, he is a seriously trained singer, and certainly exhibits the stamina by an un-intermittent and un-lipsynced performance. The king might have some 'Universal' woes with the music companies about the business of raking in monumental amounts of cash, but when going live, he is certainly way ahead of the rest. He surely proves that he is an entertainer of the masses, his show having the energy to make even the most self-acclaimed of the frigids succumb to the gale of temptation.

Those who are keenly ware of the world in general might have noticed statutory signs warning of acute intestinal blockage from excessive shaking. Or remember having read somewhere that the gigabyte synchronized beats have a fair chance of getting in sync of your heartbeat and stopping it altogether. Other than these fateful eventualities, you are guaranteed with persistent body aches after a night of mirth and entertainment full score.

Ghazala Rizvi