Entertainment Entertainment Home Kya soorat hai in Dhaka Neeraj, the lead performer of international band Bombay Vikings, performed at a local fund raising show on September 3. He had his fans off their seats and made them dance to his beats. Rafi Zahed writes The stage was set against the big banner reading ‘Creatas presents Bombay Vikings, Artcell and DJ’. The lighting at the China-Bangladesh Friendship Convention Centre appeared perfect and the room temperature was cool. The crowd began to make their way to the entrance of the auditorium, each and every visitor enthralled in anticipation. Gradually, people found a place to sit, unwind, and relax. Bombay Vikings was here in town to rock their fans with their remixes of the 70’s and 80’s Hindi film super hit songs. Interestingly, many expected that the audience would comprise of young music enthusiasts but it turned out to be the opposite. People of all ages, all groups – families in particular – were present to witness a heart throbbing musical evening. After much anticipation, the show commenced with a slight delay. The first band on stage was Artcell. Hailed as one of the best bands in the underground rock scene, Artcell found fame quickly through their meaningful lyrics, melodic compositions and of course, Lincoln’s voice. The fantastic four were ready to entertain their fans. Artcell chalked out an unplugged performance for the evening. They began with their popular numbers from their latest album. ‘Onno Shomoi,’ a popular track of recent times which was well sung by the band. The fans happily sang along with their stars as they had the lyrics memorised by hearts. ‘Dukkhu Bilash’ and ‘Tomakay’ were also a hit with the crowd. Since this was an unplugged concert, the songs – mostly of the rock genre – were modified slightly to fit the ambience. Artcell performed one English cover from Metallica’s album ‘Black’. ‘Nothing else matters’ was performed flawlessly by the band and it almost had the crowd standing from their seats. Artcell concluded their part of the show with their hit number ‘Pathchala’. This song created wonders for the crowd. The sensational lyrics hit everyone. With a slight pause in the middle, the crowd once again got ready for the second part of the show, the part where everyone was eagerly waiting to see Neeraj – vocalist of Bombay Vikings. What can be said about Neeraj? This Indian-born musician living in Sweden has profound love for Bangladesh, as he claims proudly. ‘I love this country a lot and this is no joke’, he remarked in the beginning of his performance. He has many Bangladeshi friends and often visits the country to see them. Everything about Bangladesh amazes him. The crowd aroused by the emotional speech, geared up for Neeraj’s singing and dancing. It did not take long to realise that he would start up with his hit title ‘Kya Soraat Hai’, the song which made him famous across the globe. People were finding it hard to keep themselves seated to such cheesy numbers, so a section of young people gathered at one corner of the hall and started dancing to tunes such as ‘Woh Chali’ and ‘Angel Eyes’. At one point, Neeraj could not restrict himself to stay on the stage. He jumped off, walked down the aisle and interacted with the crowd. The fans were ecstatic about this having found their star around them, singing and dancing. Neeraj sang ‘Yeh dosti’, from the famous Hindi film ‘Sholay’. He dedicated this song to the people of this country, saying that the bond between him and Bangladesh will remain forever. What good is a Bombay Viking concert without the songs ‘Hawa Mein Urta Jaye’ and ‘Chor do Achal’. Neeraj did not forget to sing these ever popular tunes. Neeraj is a lively man on stage. It was evident from the performance that he had what it takes to be a real entertainer – touching the hearts of his fans with his singing and dancing skills. His songs have peppy beats which naturally provokes one to nod their heads to the song. In the end, he mentioned ‘Ami Bangla bolte pari nah’. But he assured us that on his next visit, he would say ‘Ami Bangla bolte pari’. This really touched the hearts of everyone present and for many, their respect for the artist grew. The show concluded with a DJ party where mostly youngsters stayed back for a little bit of fun. For the rest of the crowd, they left the hall with immense satisfaction of seeing their star Neeraj perform their favourite songs and also with hoping that he will be back very soon. Part of the proceeds of the show will be donated to the flood-affected people of the country.