NDTV Imagine to air Unforgettable Mega Concert

NDTV Imagine will be airing the Bachchans' Unforgettable Mega Concert on 11 October at 8:30 pm.

Apart from Amitabh, Abhishek and Aishwarya, stars like Ritiesh Deshmukh, Preity Zinta, Akshay Kumar, Madhuri Dixit, Shilpa Shetty and music-director duo Vishal-Shekar will also be performing.

Reliving his experiences on the tour, Amitabh Bachchan said, "Phenomenal!! The quality of the production was unbelievable. The adulation and support from the fans was amazing. What a tour!"

"The first thing that hits you is just the euphoria. It's an outpouring of love from the audience -- it really explodes when actors come on stage," adds Abhishek.

Amitabh finds his greatest fan

The Bachchans’s tour seemed to be one ‘fan’fare, literally speaking.

Amitabh Bachchan was most touched by Rochelle, a little girl who made it a point to attend every concert put up by the Bachchans. She observed the backstage action, attended the shows, followed the Bachchans to their hotels, waited at the gates for hours for just a peek and when she returned home, she quickly wrote about it all on her blog.

It looks like this little girl could give all his fans tough competition all alone. “She is a Sherlock Holmes in the making,” says Bachchan, who makes it a point to read Rochelle’s blogs. And we thought he was only busy writing his!

Abhishek interviews father Amitabh Bachchan on television

Television viewing has never looked as good, as it will this Friday (September 19) when the Bachchan Father-Son duo revisit exclusive moments from the Unforgettable Tour. An exclusive three - episode chat show from the creators of The Unforgettable Tour Diaries, Wizcraft Television will have viewers glued to their sets to watch, The Big B's Den.

In his return to television, Amitabh Bachchan will be seen in a candid disposition, interviewing the star cast of the Unforgettable Tour. Their first hand experiences, unforgettable moments, success-runs among other topics, will be on record with Mr. Bachchan, in his den. The den drapes gorgeous deep reds and gold, with a fiery twist encompassing the look and colors of the Tour.

The Big B's Den shows a rugged Abhishek Bachchan, who makes his small screen debut, wherein he will play host in the opening episode, interviewing none other than his father. Watch segments of the enigmatic and larger-than-life capsules of the Tour and what papa thinks of his sons' interviewing skills and tips on how to break into on-air commercial. Mr. Bachchan even plays a word association game with Abhishek, giving the star cast some 'unforgettable' tags.

Catch the show this Friday, September 19 on NDTV Imagine at 2200 hrs. IST to know what happened when the Sound console collapsed in Houston, a rewind into his earlier world Tours and much, much more.

'The Unforgettable Tour' all set from July 18

'The Unforgettable Tour' is being unveiled on 18th July in Toronto and rehearsals for the tour have already begun in Mumbai. Taking time off from their busy schedule, the lead stars have already begun preparations for the elaborate song-n-dance-dialogue routines.

The first leg of the tour spans 10 cities, traveling to destinations like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Trinidad & Tobago, Houston, Atlantic City, New York, Vancouver, London and Amsterdam. 'The Unforgettable Tour' will bring together, for the very first time, the legendary Bachchans -- Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan -- on one stage.

Also participating in this Tour are Akshay Kumar, Madhuri Dixit, Preity Zinta and Riteish Deshmukh. The performances will be choreographed by Shiamak Davar, while music will be provided by Vishal-Shekhar. Wizcraft International Entertainment P. Ltd., the pioneer of many extravagant and mesmerizing events, has been instrumental in shaping the Tour.

AB, AB & AB rehearse for THE UNFORGETTABLE TOUR

THE UNFORGETTABLE TOUR, a never seen before extravaganza of Indian Cinema magic,is being unveiled on 18 July 2008 in Toronto, and rehearsals for the tour have already begun in Mumbai. Taking time off from their busy schedule, the lead stars have already begun preparations for the elaborate song-n-dance-dialogue routines that will bring alive the most unforgettable moments in cinema.

The first leg of the tour spans 10 cities, traveling to exotic destinations like Los Angeles, San Francisco, Trinidad & Tobago, Houston, Atlantic City, New York, Vancouver, London and Amsterdam, the tour promises to be an out-of-the-world experience, an event that would leave Indian movie fans asking for more. THE UNFORGETTABLE TOUR will bring together, for the very first time, the first family of Indian cinema - the legendary Bachchans - Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan on one stage enthralling their global fans.

Speaking on the commencement of the tour, Abhishek Bachchan who is getting ready for the release of the much-awaited SARKAR RAJ said, "This tour surely promises to be an 'unforgettable' experience for Indian film aficionados across the globe. The report in one of the magazines about my beloved wife Aishwarya's pregnancy is false. We are all geared up to perform and entertain our audiences. Aishwarya will be performing on some of her most popular numbers, including with Madhuri Dixit on the superhit "Dola Re" from DEVDAS. I am thrilled to be a part of this tour and am eagerly looking forward to performing "Kajra Re" with my family and some of India's most sought after actors and friends Akshay, Madhuri, Preity and Riteish. We are all committed to ensuring the success of the concert tour. It definitely is an experience to look forward to."

Preity Zinta, one of India's leading actresses and current hot-favourite Riteish Deshmukh will be accompanying the Bachchans on this extravaganza. But the magic for Indian film aficionados only begins there. Indian Film Industry's icons Akshay Kumar and Madhuri Dixit will be adding their charm to the trip as celebrity guest performers in specific cities. To add to this, the spectacular performances will be choreographed by India's ace choreographer, Shiamak Davar, while music will be provided by the hot and happening music director duo, Vishal and Shekhar.

Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt Ltd, the pioneer of many extravagant and mesmerizing events, has been instrumental in shaping THE UNFORGETTABLE TOUR.

‘We contemplated legal action against Lara and Bipasha’

... says Sabbas Joseph, organiser of the Bachchans’ world tour

The stars accompanying the Bachchans for The Unfogettables tour in July have been finalised.

Confirming the list, Sabbas Joseph of Wizcraft, organisers of the tour says, “Preity and Riteish will be at all the venues. Akshay Kumar, Madhuri Dixit and Shahid Kapoor are the guest stars for US, Trinidad, Amsterdam and the UK.”

Getting the performers wasn’t easy since a couple of stars opted out. “From the outset, Lara and Bipasha were definitely on, along with Riteish and the Bachchans. There’s photographic evidence of them confirming their presence at last year’s IIFA.” When asked for the change of mind, Sabbas says, “Riteish was signed last year. He stood by his deal even though his box-office equity has doubled. A commitment is a commitment.”

He adds, “My question to the people who opted out is: ‘You’ve had the hits and you believe your price is changed. But what about commitment?’ Also, let me remind the ones who are no longer on the tour that we’re showcasing Indian cinema on on an international level. A Bachchan tour takes Indian cinema as far as it can go. According to me, being part of it is a matter of pride.”

Sabbas doesn’t think the actresses dropped out due to the Aishwarya factor. “Not at all! Ash and Abhishek are the two actresses’ buddies and would’ve gone out of their way to make them feel at home.

No, I think it was the temptation to hike their remuneration.”

He adds, “We did contemplate legal action. But finally it seemed a waste of time and energy. If an individual doesn’t want to be part of an event, it doesn’t make sense to force them to perform. No point in having performers who won’t enjoy what they’re doing the audience won’t enjoy it either.”

Subash K. Jha

Preity nearly loses eye, Bachchan's doctor to the rescue

Preity flew into Mumbai on Wednesday from her busy schedule in Mohali to record a promotional clipping for the Bachchans' Unforgettable concerts.

If you've been wondering why Preity is seen in dark glasses at all her IPL events in and out of Mohali, it's not for fashionable causes. A seemingly minor eye injury two weeks ago blew up into a serious problem for Preity Zinta. "Anything could've happened," she shudders. "At an event in Mohali, two weeks ago, a stranger's elbow jabbed into my eye. I felt the room swim. And the eye got immediately swollen. But after ice-pack treatment for hours it seemed to be in control. Little did I know what was in store."

In the next few days Preity's eye condition worsened. "The pupil acquired every colour in the rainbow, and the cornea shrank. I was in a panic. My mother was so worried. Finally, I went to a really good doctor, the same one who looks after the Bachchans' eyes. At last my eye is healed." Now Preity intends to maintain a safe distance from crowds during her public appearances in Mohali.

The Bachchans and Preity seem to be bonded in more ways than one. And the bonding gets stronger now that Preity joins them on their world tour. "I'm very fond of Jayaji and Amitji. And Abhishek is a chum. I also think Aishwarya is very cool. In fact, I'm now joining them on their world tour in July. And really looking forward to it."

Unlike the other actors like Akshay Kumar and Shahid Kapoor who would be making appearances at selected venues, Preity will be accompanying the Bachchans throughout their 2-month tour.

Several actresses who were verbally committed to join the Bachchans chickened out with lame excuses. Putting aside her plans to return to acting after the IPL activities in July Preity decided to join the Bachchans for their world concerts.

She brushes off any suggestion of largesse. "I don't know why the other actresses aren't going. The Bachchans are my buddies. They asked me, I agreed. As simple as that. In fact, I've been on a world tour with them before and I had myself a ball. I'm looking forward to this one too. And I do not care who's going with them, or not."

What she does care about is the oncoming IPL matches in Mohali and not only for the matches. "The people there are so warm and friendly. Ness and I have begun to care for the town. See while the others in the IPL have got developed cities, we're the only ones who were given a town that's growing. And we're so proud to be part of that growth. Mohali is an air-force base so only army planes land there. There's already talk of an international airport and several luxury hotels in the town, all thanks to the IPL."

Speaking of her team's rocking music video Preity giggles, "Ram Madhvani shot our film exactly the way we wanted. Daler Mehndi captured the flavour and ethos of Punjab so wonderfully in his song. We wanted it to be about the spirit of the game and we wanted the people of Chandigarh and Mohali to participate. I made just a fleeting appearance in it. It felt good. I haven't faced the camera for some months."

Subash K. Jha

Go, take a hike!

If sources are to be believed the organisers of the Bachchans’ The Unforgettable Tour, is planning to sue Bipasha Basu for pulling out of the tour at the last minute.

Says a source from Wizcraft on condition of anonymity, “What Bipasha did was completely unprofessional and in bad taste. It’s not just unethical but illegal too. How could she back out from the tour after signing the contract?”

Bipasha was to accompany the Bachchans, Lara Dutta and Retiesh Deshmukh. Our source adds, “It was quite shocking when Bipsaha, who had attended the The Unforgettable’s press conference, held in Yorkshire last year to promote the event along with Big B, Ash, Abhishek, Lara, Retiesh and Shaimak Dawar, suddenly hiked her fee three days after the release of her film Race.”

Informs the source, “When we refused to pay her that astronomical figure, she backed out. Not just us, even Mr Bachchan tried convincing her but she didn’t budge. We had no option but to sign bigger actors instead. Though we’re too caught up with the tour, we can’t take it lying down. She can’t take us for a ride, now we have decided to sue her.”

The latest update on Unforgettable’s is that Madhuri Dixit, Akshay Kumar and Preity Zinta have joined the bandwagon. When contacted about the plans of suing Bipasha for a breach of contract, Sabbas Joseph, director, Wizcraft International didn’t deny the fact but said, “I have no comments to make.”
Bipasha was unavailable for comment.

Ashwini Deshmukh

Preity Zinta and Akshay Kumar join 'The Unforgettable Tour'

Wizcraft International Entertainment today announced two Superstar entrants to their grandest, blockbuster world tour- ‘The Unforgettable Tour - Experience the magic…’ led by Amitabh Bachchan and the performers include Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan and Riteish Deshmukh. This massive tour will have an array of today’s biggest Indian Cine stars descending onto the world stage with their scintillating performances, promising to bring alive the magic of Indian cinema which will make fans rock across 6 continents, spanning 18 countries.

‘The Unforgettable’ world tour will commence in July 2008 and will take center-stage in mainstream international venues, promoted in conjunction with international partners and promoters.

Superhit machine Akshay Kumar and the star of umpteen box office successes, Preity Zinta are today slated among Indian Cinema’s biggest performers. In the last two decades, Akshay Kumar has come to be considered a powerhouse performer, appearing in over 80 films till date. With recent hits like Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Garam Masala, Welcome and the upcoming Tashan, he has carved a niche for himself with his heroic and thrilling stunts and his comic timing as well. Preity Zinta in a short span of time has made her way to the top with some of the biggest blockbuster hits playing her cherubic and bubbly self. She is the darling of the NRI audiences that ‘The Unforgettables’ will entertain.

Speaking on the occasion Akshay Kumar said, “I am elated to be on The Unforgettable Tour that will reach out to millions of Indian Cinema fans across the world. Touring with Wizcraft and Amitji, I believe that fans will be in store for a great journey of Indian Cinema and all the energy and excitement it has to offer.” Audiences will also get to witness Akshay perform songs from his forthcoming film, Singh is Kinng.

Preity Zinta shared the same sentiments, “It’s indeed an honour to be a part of a show of such a great scale and caliber and to be onstage with the Bachchans and others. It is always a delight to reach out to our fans and be a part of the tour, I intend on doing just that.”

Speaking on ‘The Unforgettable’ World Tour and the inclusion of the two mega stars, Viraf Sarkari, Wizcraft Director said, “I am delighted and honored that both Preity and Akshay have joined the Tour. The Tour is shaping up and promises to be one of the biggest and grandest world tours from India, bringing alive the magic of Indian cinema, on stage. In addition, we will have dazzling performances by the idols of Indian cinema- Amitabh Bachchan, superstar of the millennium, Abhishek Bachchan, hottest youth icon and Aishwarya Rai, one of the world’s most beautiful women, the multitalented Riteish Deshmukh and many more.”