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NEC Birmingham Mela
Mela 2006 was a show of music, food, dance and a public display of all things Asian.
As a bit of a Bollywood buff myself I was very excited by the prospect of being there and it certainly didn't disappoint. Whether you were a fanatical fan, Bollywood wannabe or just going along with the family, it definitely had something for everyone.
Some of the biggest names in Bollywood - Kajol, Ajay Devgan, Saif Ali Khan were joined by British Asian comedian Paul Chowdhry and some top British Asian artists - Hard Kaur, Hunterz and Rishi Rich Project. Hadiqa Kiana and Ali Zafar not being there was disappointing, but nevertheless, the show went on!
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| The 'Ultimate Fashion' zone showcased some beautiful designs. The trend being westernised clothing with an Asian twist, straight from Mumbai. We also got to see collections from the hottest up and coming designers. |
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| The Opportunities Theatre was very popular as it gave the audience the opportunity to ask questions, meet the celebrities and get autographs. |
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Plenty of sound advice was given in 'Making it in Film and TV' that I attended.
The Advice was given by a number of celebrities from the big and small screen, including Bollywood actor Ajay Devgan, Coronation Street actress, actor Raza Jaffrey, producer Tommy Nagra, Amber Kalirai and presenter/actor/DJ/host Ameet Chana.
A lot of the advice iterated the need for self belief, determination and the need to go for your goals. A piece of advice that I will surely be taking away from this was from Nitin Ganatra - "don't do anything you will regret and learn your craft".
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| Ultimate Entertainment Theatre really was the highlight of the Mela for me, comedian Paul Chowdhry made the audience laugh with his witty jokes about the diverse cultures in Britain and their 'particular' ways. Representing Asian females, rap artist Hard Kaur, performed a variety of her chartbuster numbers. Hard Kaur was followed by gifted Hunterz who was joined by his brother Vee, I was very impressed! |
However, the guys that impressed me most were the Rishi Rich Project, made up of Rishi himself, Juggy D and Jay Sean, with DJ Krash joining them too.
These guys really lit-up the stage, with DJ Krash on the decks and Rishi Rich on the keyboard, they really hyped the audience with their amazing talent.
With Juggy dancing to every beat, Jay doing his amazing beat boxing and rapping, this really was a treat. At one showing, I could barely even hear Juggy and Jay as the screaming fans were so loud! |
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| Having never seen any of the acts mentioned perform before and for someone who gets bored easily, they definitely have my support. If you missed these acts, you definitely missed out. |
| Review by Sandip Sodhi |
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