Rains disrupt film events

The pre-monsoon showers that hit Mumbai affected Salman Khan’s Ready concert and Bhojpuri film awards which was rescheduled.

The pre-monsoon showers that hit Mumbai a week before the MET Department’s forecast have not only disrupted city life, but also the schedule of some film events that were supposed to be organised in the open. The first such event to face the brunt was Salman Khan’s Ready Live Mad concert that was due on June 2 at the Tulip Star Hotel in Juhu.

HT Image

The concert was supposed to accommodate about 10,000 people and Salman was expected to make an aerial entry and perform to the film’s songs. On the day of the concert, it did kick off at around 6.30 pm, but just when the band, Trip Recipe began the opening act, it started drizzling. The organisers were left with no option but to stop the show. “We tried to keep the concert playing even in the drizzle. But after about 10 minutes it started pouring,” says Prashant Shirshat from 3rd Rock Entertainment, who organised the event. “There was some expensive equipment on stage, which could have been damaged if we had continued.”

As the rains refused to subside, Salman who was put up at the nearby JW Marriott Hotel, decided to carry on with his next Ready promotion. “I later met Salman at PVR, where he was doing another event. He expressed his regret about the show’s cancellation. If not for cooperation by my sponsor Provogue, my loss would have exceeded far more than Rs 12 lakh,” says Prashant.

The other event that got cancelled due to the early rain is the Bhojpuri Award Night. It too was scheduled to take place in the open. Here also, the event started on time with a performance by Manoj Tiwari, but within minutes it had to be stopped due to the rain. “We have faced a loss of about Rs 70 lakh, which includes damage to stage equipment worth Rs 20 lakh,” says Krishan Khataria, organiser. “Unfortunately, our insurance doesn’t cover rain damage. In the chaos that ensued, the audience not only stole trophies that were meant for the stars, but also the standees to shelter themselves from the downpour.” The event eventually took place at Rangsharda Auditorium in Bandra on Sunday.