BY  VEENA RAO

Atlanta was indeed ready to take the bite! The star-studded Temptation 2004 show at the Arena at Gwinnett Center proved that given the right gap between shows, Bollywood sells…and how! For close to four hours, the six temptations Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta, Rani Mukherhjee, Arjun Rampal and Priyanka Chopra kept the frenzied crowd cheering, hooting and applauding; proving without a shadow of doubt what a Bollywood crazy community we are.

The show was presented in Atlanta by Mark Premji Promotions.

The six stars played the six temptations- greed, envy, passion, lust, power and love. The portrayal of the theme did not make much logical sense, but then who cared for logic… sheer entertainment was the name of the Temptation game, that was led by ‘King Khan’, that lovable, genial bundle of energy Shah Rukh. Totally unaffected and humble, the Bollywood Badshah kept the crowds totally hooked to his antics, be it with song, dance, an inane skit, or his abundant wit. Giving him able support were the Bollywood dream queens Preity Zinta, Rani Mukherjee and ex-Miss World Priyanka Chopra, and heartthrobs Saif Ali Khan and Arjun Rampal, along with a host of dancers from Mumbai. There was pyrotechnics with laser beams and firecrackers, and huge screen backdrops to add glitz to the show. 

The show opened with a stunning Priyanka Chopra dressed in gold and black. She essayed ‘greed’ as she lip-synched to “Yaara yaara koi aayega”. ‘Power’ hunk Arjun Rampal came in next, dressed in black leather and a long sequined kurta, which he predictably took off as he danced against the backdrop of flames for his ‘Jaanleva’ (Moksha).

“Material Girl” Preity Zinta, was emboldened in the red of “passion” and had a gun-toting Bond-style entry. She gyrated to ‘It’s the time to disco’ (Kal Ho Na Ho). Not to be outdone, Saif Ali Khan who portrayed “envy” strutted on stage in similar style, suited in black before he was joined by dancers for a medley of ‘Dil chahta hai, ‘Woh ladki hai kahan’, ‘Koi kahe kehta rahe’ (Dil Chahta Hai), and ‘Hum Tum with the characters of Hum and Tum.

Rani, the queen of ‘lust’ was in black too as she danced with a matka to ‘Chalka re chalka re’ (Saathiya), ‘Yeh gore gore se chore’ (Hum Tum), and “Shawa shawa mahiya” (Kahbie Khushi Kabhie Gham).

The final entry was reserved for the heart and soul of the show. SRK, the epitome of “love” arrived in white, even as the huge screens that served as a backdrop played white doves of peace. “He lip-synched to ‘Pehla pyar hai’ (KKKG) and “Poocho mere dil ka yeh haal kya kare” (Main Hoon Na). Later, even as the screen was filled with his images, he was wheeled into the rear of the auditorium and through the aisle, much to the delight of frenzied crowds. Dressed in denim and red, he joked that he wanted to become a rock star, but ended up becoming a lover. 

“Over the years, the Atlanta crowds have gotten better and better. So we decided to do something different for you this time,” he promised.

The ‘little different’ fare turned out to be a silly slapstick called “Kal Ho Na Ho, Parso To Hoga Hee” featuring all six stars, supposedly a comic look at Hindi movies. Preity and Rani played gold digger sisters who posed as the royal princess of Bhatinda, working to ensnare the mysterious multi-millionaire SK. Both the SKs, Shah Rukh and Saif turn out to be imposters, who impersonate SK in order to hook a rich girl. After much song and dance, and a Jassi sketch by Priyanka Chopra, it is revealed that the real SK is neither Shah Rukh nor Saif… it is the tall hunk Arjun Rampal. The real SK chooses Priyanka who sheds her Jassi-like character (wig and clothes, so to speak) to reveal a sexy siren. “Kal Ho Na Ho, Parso To Hoga Hee”?? Entertainment doesn’t necessarily have to make much sense, really!

SRK later introduced the choreographer of the show Ganesh Hegde. The immensely talented Hegde sang ‘Bheege honth tere” (Murder) and also introduced each member of his very talented dance crew. Each dancer danced under the spotlight as his/her name was called out, and received as much applause by the crowds as the stars did.

Each of the six stars appeared on stage individually, holding their own. Saif played the guitar surprisingly well. A bare-chested Arjun, in red pants showed a trick or two about sword fighting to a giddy girl from the audience and then rewarded her with the chain from around his neck. Priyanka, for whom this was the first world tour, showed no signs of nervousness and was poised and graceful as she sang seductive numbers, beginning with Christina Aguilera’s “A genie in a bottle”, and moving on to classics “Aayeeye Meherbaan”, “Raat akeli hai” and “Do lafzon ki hai dil ki kahaani”. This is a singer to watch out for! Preity and Rani proved that they were good classical dancers too, with fluid moves set to “Jiya jala jaan jale” and “O chaliya suniyo re”.

The King Khan proved his superstar mantle as he lip-synched to his famous dialogues from his hit movies “Devdas”, “Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge”, “Chalte Chalte”, “Kal Ho Na Ho” and then danced with one of the three girls to a song from each of these movies. 

He then called two members of the audience Radhika and Bhavesh Seth and gave them memories for a lifetime. Chatting, gently chiding, and prodding in the most unaffected, genial way, SRK’s little show being himself was probably the best segment of the concert. Besides signing an umbrella and teddy bear for the two, he also handed over complimentary air tickets from Delta Airlines.

The six stars came together on stage in colorful Afros for the finale “It’s the time to disco”. The Atlanta concert was a huge success, if the audience turnout and its involvement was any indication. The concert was the first in a series of shows around the US. Temptation 2004 was earlier held in Amsterdam and London. Produced by Red Chillies Int., the show has been scripted and directed by Moranis & Soorma. Vijay Taneja is the international promoter of the show.

Earlier in the evening, the local segment of the evening started off with a dance by local model/actor Shezi Sardar. Dancer Asha writhed to film songs with a Rajasthani flavor. This was followed by a fashion show displaying outfits from Mumtaz Creations and jewelry by Meena Jewelers. The show was choreographed by Rehman. Parijat Chandra was the emcee for this segment.

Atlanta promoter Mark Premji thanked the crowds for making the show such a resounding success.