Pune: "Pune... hum nahi jhukenge" (We will not bow down) boomed Dharmendra Jai Narayan, aka DJ, lead singer of the famous rock band, Aryans. The huge crowd present hung on to his every word and responded with claps and cheers, as the mood soared with the opening statement. This is how Day Two of The Times of India's Pune festival began at the Ishanya amphitheatre on Sunday evening.
A fitting reply to all anti-national elements, who think they can bring a city to its knees with their terror attacks.
DJ then asked the crowd — "Kya aapne kisise pyaar kiya hai?" (Have you loved anyone?) — thus opening their scintillating performance for a perfect Valentine's Day evening. What followed was some spellbinding guitar work, as the audience crooned along with the band's most popular track, 'Dekha Hai Teri Aankhon Ko,' with K M Sadasivan, alias Sadu, letting his energies flow on the keyboards. Other band members — Yakub, Yaman and Varun — pitched in with the guitar and drums, to present a full-fledged rock ensemble, albeit with a typical 'desi' flavour.
The audience warmed up to the band, which had them in splits with humorous one-liners and wisecracks. The crowd was soon swaying and shaking a leg to the fantastic upbeat music that the group was belting out. Jumping into the crowd, complete rockstar style, DJ wove through the audience, singing, and was soon joined by his fans on the microphone. 'Bechara Raju Kya Karein....' was a musical call to the romantic side of all those present.
Little children with their parents, young couples and benign elders — all soaked in the mischievous flavour of this original composition. There was thunderous response to the cult track, 'We Don't Need No Education' by Pink Floyd, as also the melodious 'Juda Hoke Bhi... Tu Mujhme Kahin Baaki Hai' from 'Kalyug' and the mushy 'Neele Neele Ambar Par...' from 'Kalakaar'.
The distinct rock strains in the Aryans' music made each rendition unique and enjoyable. Transitioning from Hindi film music to a non-filmy track was flawless, with friendly banter being thrown in for good measure, accompanied by some expert comments by DJ. "How many of you think this life belongs to you....' he asked the crowd, and followed up the question with a high-decibel delivery of 'It's My Life' by Bon Jovi.
But romance was definitely the theme of the day, and renditions like 'Hai Apna Dil To Awara', 'Tu Hi Meri Shab Hai' from 'Woh Lamhe' and 'Aankhon Mein Tera Hi Chehra', the track that catapulted Aryans to instant fame, caught the crowd's fancy.
'Oh Humdum Suniyo Re' from 'Saathiya' and 'Jai Ho' from 'Slumdog Millionaire' had everybody — young and old alike — stepping up on the stage to join in some zestful dancing with the band members.
"What can I say... the crowd here is amazing..." said Sadu, while prodding his fans to join him in the singing. The enthusiastic crowd soon joined in with rhythmic applause, also dancing to 'Yeh Hawa Kehti Hai Kya' — another celebrated original by the Aryans.
A bunch of youngsters sitting in the front row kept bowing in appreciation, before and after every song, as the evening progressed. "We have lots of Indian idols here, who will join us on the vocals," said DJ after every song.
Countless 'once mores' and a zillion loud cheers added to the crescendo the Aryans reached steadily. Tapping in on the crowd's youthful energy, the group energetically belted out Bryan Adam's track, 'Summer of '69'.
The audience was left screaming for some more musical fun. The performance concluded with some golden oldies from Hindi films.
Publication: Times Of India Pune; Date:2010 Feb 15; Section:Times City; Page Number: 6
Laxmi Birajdar | TNN