WISHING UPON A STAR
…Veesham Maharaj built a career out of dreaming big
SHOW promoter Veesham Maharaj knew he was destined for greater things. He could feel it in the pit of his stomach.
His career, he said, might have been strewn with challenges but it had made him stronger, wiser and more determined to dream big.
The 53-year-old Malvern resident, who has wined and dined with some of the biggest celebrities in B-Town, including Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, said he was grateful for all he had accomplished and looked forward to many more fruitful years in the entertainment industry.
He has a few events lined up, among them bringing Pakistani singer-songwriter Atif Aslam to South Africa.
He is scheduled to perform on July 21 at the ICC in Durban and the following day at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg.
Maharaj had a humble upbringing.
He was the youngest of five children and his father died when he was 9 years old.
Even at that age, the resilient boy knew family came first.
“After my father’s death, it was difficult for my family to make ends meet and at that time, you could not think about furthering your studies.
“Your first priority after completing school was to earn an income and I was fortunate enough to land a job at the age of 19 as a clerk at Consol.”
Maharaj later found employment at Suncrush, where he worked for nine years as a management accounting assistant.
Although he loved his job, he always had a yearning for something else.
“I progressed in the company, becoming a management accounting assistant and married my now wife of 29 years, Eshara. She was a budding singer and I often accompanied her to gigs.
“That’s when I realised there was an opportunity to host live shows. At that stage, I never thought of it as a career until a few years later,” he said.
“I was sitting in my office and realised I needed to do something bigger. The chances of getting a promotion were slim because the older employees were still holding onto their jobs. I called Eshara and told her I intended leaving my job. I had not planned ahead, but she supported my decision. She said: ‘If you are not happy, do what will make you happy’.”
With his background in accounting, Maharaj considered the insurance route but soon left it after realising it was not for him.
Seated next to her husband on their leather couch, Eshara said: “The temple we attended then reached out to us for help. They wanted to host a fundraiser and Veesham assisted and the event was a hit.”
Maharaj nodded, adding: “I think that’s when I truly noticed the potential live shows had. There was a market but no one was doing it, so I started my first company, VM Promotions, and Eshara and I began hosting shows.
“Fortunately, comedians worked on Saturdays and they needed exposure as much as I did, so I would book shows at community halls and they entertained the patrons. We also held school fund-raising events.”
While he served as the co-ordinator, Eshara was part of the entertainment line-up.
“He encouraged me to pursue my passion. He loves it when I sing. I even sang on our wedding day,” she said.
In 1995, Maharaj met his business partner, Mike Narsey, and they started the popular Miss POST pageant.
“We were actually competitors but decided why compete when we can join forces and create amazing shows. So we did and that’s how Showtime Promotions was born.”
The duo had their biggest break when a Johannesburg company looking to bring a few Bollywood stars to South Africa approached them.
In 2003 they put together a stellar concert at Kingsmead Stadium in Durban featuring Akshay Kumar, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Fardeen Khan and Jimmy Sheirgill.
“It was our biggest concert and I finally got to meet Kareena,” said Maharaj with a twinkle in his eye.
“I had always loved Kareena and I thought she was brilliant but, of course, my wife didn’t,” he joked.
A year later, Maharaj and Narsey hosted the Now or Never concert with Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Malaika Arora, Preity Zinta and Rani Mukerji.
“We also brought down their dancers and entourage. Our fans loved it. It was certainly a Now or Never tour.”
Photographs of his wife and sons, Kashvir, 27, and Akshay, 23, with the celebs adorn their lounge.
“Most of our pictures are packed away because of renovations,” said Eshara during a walkabout.
He teased, saying he had nailed the frames to the wall in the lounge to ensure no one tried to steal or destroy them.
Showtime Promotions has grown, bringing down Salman Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Shahid Kapoor, Sonu Nigam and Arijit Singh.
Others included soapie stars Shabbir Ahluwalia, Sushant Singh Rajput, Rithvik Dhanjani and Asha Negi.
While Maharaj has an office on Sydney Road, he works mainly from home.
“When Veesham is in his element, we don’t dare worry him. As he gets closer to the show dates, he gets edgy because he wants everything to be perfect,” said Eshara.