Sunday, September 05, 2004

Shah Rukh Khan and the Temptations Show 9/4/2004

Shah Rukh Khan came and I saw him live at the MCI Center in Washington, DC.

Since becoming immersed in Indian films in 2002 and becoming a fan of Shah Rukh Khan, I made it a goal to see SRK in person.

I read Indian news and use the Internet to keep up with SRK's doings. When I heard he was going to lead the India Independence Day Parade in New York in 2003, I caught a train to New York. Unfortunately, he was running late, and I had to catch a return train home, so I missed him. But, I did make friends with an Indian woman who stood next to me along the parade route. We still communicate.

Then, I found out SRK was going to do a variety show tour that included a night at the MCI center. I knew where I would be on 9/4/2004.

I wore an beautiful dark green Indian outfit with silver Indian jewelry bought especially for the show. My niece came with me. It was great to be among a crowd of women in Indian fashions. I love saris and other Indian fashions. They are beautiful. My family and friends really liked my outfit.

I was not disappointed in any way. Everything that is said about SRK is true. He has enormous energy and is very personable. The show ran for over three hours and SRK was on stage alot. Towards the end the stars did a medley of songs from SRK's movies and I was dancing in the aisle. I was so comfortable with the music, I knew all the songs.

SRK interacts with the audience. He invited people on stage and danced with them.

The audience roared and cheered SRK and the other stars throughout the show. There was no shortage of enthusiasm.

While our seats were in the upper level and SRK, Rani Mukerji, Preity Zinta, Priyanhia Chopra, Saif Ali Khan, and Arjun Rampal looked tiny down on the stage, I still enjoyed the show. A troupe of dancers backed up the stars in the musical numbers.

While I like all the other stars in the show, I came to see SRK.

An odd yet true reaction I had seeing SRK in person was that it was like seeing him in film that is how much his personality comes across in film. I had to remind myself this is live, he's really here on stage talking, dancing, and singing.

He thanked the audience, the convention organizers and many others for supporting him and the tour many times. He let the audience know he wanted them to have a good time.

While many of the dance numbers were modern, Rani and Priety performed a traditional dance routine towards the end of the evening. It was beautiful.

I like the fact that Bollywood stars reach out to their fans. To my mind, Bollywood stars work harder than other film stars. I also like the fact that in Bollywood the music is an integral part of the films.

Another thing I love about many Bollywood movies and this show is that they are geared toward multi-generational audiences.

I am still thinking about the show, letting it sink in that I really got to see SRK. Probably the sign of a real fan. I realized that SRK is so real, you can count on him to be honest, kind, professional, positive, energetic, generous, and hardworking.

I hope my pictures come out.