Bringing top-class talent
“ONLY The Best” is an apt title for a Bollywood music concert staged by local impresario Ebrahim Kaskar of Shalimar Promotions who prides himself on presenting topclass talent from India on local stages.
The concerts, featuring a selection of evergreen melodies, the latest tunes and a medley of Sufi inspired songs, headlines international artistes Salim Malik, Girish Kumar, Azeem Husen and Cape Town’s very own Mogamat Nuur Leeman. It will be staged at the Eoan Theatre over the Easter weekend on March 31 and April 2 at 8pm.
Malik and Kumar have performed here before and are back due to public demand. All the previous concerts saw the sold-out, house full signs go up in record time. This, as a result of Kaskar ensuring that ticket prices are affordable for an international concert, and giving audiences value for money.
Having seen these artistes in action, I can attest to the fact that they are exceptionally talented, and their vocal ability takes one down memory lane with the hits of two of the Indian film industry’s legendary artistes, the late Mukesh and Mohammed Rafi.
Malik and Kumar endeared themselves to local audiences as a result of their warm personalities, with the female audience contingent swooning to Malik’s rendition of popular romantic poetry interspersed in his songs.
Kaskar has heeded the calls of younger audiences keen to enjoy the latest Bollywood hits and has accordingly brought in Husen, who performs the songs of current trend-setter Arijit Singh.
All the international artistes and the musicians of the Baba Sohel Orchestra have performed in various countries globally. Kaskar explains: “I have been in the musical promotion industry since the 1970s and at that time I was involved in bringing Qawwali artistes like the Sabri Brothers to Cape Town, as well as promoting them internationally.
“Thereafter, I entered the Bollywood scene and started staging concerts with top superstars and artistes alike, as well as co-ordinating film shoots in South Africa. I realise that many of the shows do not come to Cape Town due to the high cost factor.
“But as a result of my fantastic relationship with Baba Sohel, a highly experienced band manager and promoter of musical concerts in India, I have secured a number of shows for Cape Town.
Baba has brought many great artistes to South Africa and we are striving to ensure that the public are given an opportunity to attend top-quality music concerts at an affordable price.”
Given the popularity of the previous concert series, Kaskar has certainly remained true to his promise. He continues: “This time around, I have also included local singer Nuur Leeman on the bill. Despite Hindi or Urdu not being his mother tongue, he performs some of the most intricate songs with ease. He is a firm favourite of local audiences, and even international artistes have complimented his singing ability when performing songs of Rahat and the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan”.
Audiences can look forward to a musical journey from a time that many purists refer to as the golden era of Bollywood music, as well as some of the more melodious current hits.
Tickets: A1 CD AND DVD Centre, 10 Ruth Road, Rylands Centre. Call 083 992 7714.