Some reservations

Why Apache Indian bombed at his comeback gig.

Our entry around 10 pm that night was a testament to this. The venue for the gig, Blue Frog, was overflowing with the MTV generation, ready to ‘wind-their-bodies and wriggle-their-bellies'. But most of the attendees were left wondering where their three-hit wonder was, while DJ Sa and DJ Jassim, a younger version of Apache tried to entertain the crowds.

The Don Raja arrived only when the clock struck 12. “I’m glad I came early and saved the entry fee, I'd be quite angry shelling out Rs 500 for a 45 minute performance,” says 28-year-old Aliya Shah. Says Akshay Khullar, “I came at 11, thinking the gig would be in full swing. I wanted to hear Apache, not a charade on stage.” He was among the many who left before the bhangramuffin even broke into his famous ‘Boom Shack-A-Lak’ and ‘Arranged Marriage.’

Punjabi wedding
The much-delayed gig was later interspersed with sexually explicit rapping by Hard Kaur that made even Apache blush. Soon, b-boying groups and random people were brought to dance onstage. Apache’s latest ‘Om Numah Shivaya,’ didn't do well with his bhangra audience. Remixes of Punjabi wedding songs left most people stupefied. “I left the minute shaadi drums started playing and people began dancing on stage,” adds Khullar.

For others with absolutely no reservations, “Apache was an icon. I think it’s amazing he pulled it off for over an hour, considering most people know him for just Chok De, and Boom Shack-A-Lak,” says Priya Pradhan.

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