Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 19, 2016)

While gates for 75,000 Coldplay fans will open today at 10:30 am for the first ever Global Citizen India concert, to be headlined by the Brit band, a party for Bollywood’s finest with the quartet on Thursday night at Colaba’s Taj Mahal hotel preceded the main event.

Frontman Chris Martin who arrived in the city earlier that day checked into the suite with his band mates – Jonny Buckland, Guy Berryman, and Will Champion – and interacted with A R Rahman, Shankar Ehsaan Loy and Arijit Singh. “He was curious to know which Coldplay song they liked the most, eager to add them to his set at the concert,” reveals a guest from the bash, adding that the paparazzi were not allowed to even wait outside the gates of the hotel, with only the official Global Citizen photographer tailing Chris through the night.

The lawns of the hotel were abuzz with banter and lined with lavish Indian spreads for over six hundred guests. Sridevi’s daughters, Jhanvi and Khushi, were spotted clicking pictures with the 39-yearold musician. Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap’s daughter Aaliyah also posed with the Kapoor sisters and Chris, captioning her post: “I literally cried after taking this picture”.

Sussanne Khan had her own fan moment with Chris when she profusely thanked the event organiser Andre Timmins for also hosting the all-nighter bash. “Epic moments of a lifetime with my Chris Martin… Amazing heart, your love has made me shine!” she squealed on Instagram.

An eight-and-a-half hour show is in order today, with performances by Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Arjun Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra, Riteish Deshmukh, Ayushmann Khurrana and Malaika Arora Khan. A heavily pregnant Kareena Kapoor who is due on December 4 has promised to not miss the event and will make an appearance on stage too.

Ananya Birla, Karsh Kale with Midival Punditz, DJ Lost Stories, DJ Clement, Electroverts and Monali Thakur will also perform sets. A special sequence with Sumeet Vyas and Arunabh Kumar’s The Viral Fever is also a part of the evening’s line-up. Other international artists include Jay Z and Demi Lovato.

Meanwhile, using the platform to promote healthcare, hygiene, education and global policies will be Vidya Balan, Dia Mirza, Vivek Oberoi and Muhammad Yunus.

Representing the sports fraternity will be Sachin Tendulkar, Leander Paes, Sakshi Malik and Vijender Singh.



GEARING UP FOR A THUMPING PERFORMANCE

Known for his popularity with the youth, the flamboyant Ranveer Singh has been pegged to deliver a high voltage, thumping performance as he grooves to two chartbusters – “Ude Dil Befikre” and “Nashe Di Chadh Gayi Hain” – from his December release, Befikre, and will also shake a leg to “Malhari” from Bajirao Mastani. The 31-year-old actor has been juggling rehearsals with shooting for Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s magnum opus, Padmavati.



SHRADDHA’S PARADISE

While B-townies are gearing up for one of the most awaited events of the year, Shraddha Kapoor has been diligently rehearsing for her solo act for the gala where she will be singing hit tracks from her films, including “Teri Galiyan”, “Tere Mere Dil” and “Udja Re”. The actress even met up with Chris Martin late on Thursday night while rehearsing for her performance.

“Shraddha is a big Coldplay fan and was extremely excited to meet Chris in person. They jammed on her favourite tracks including “Paradise” and “Fix You”,” informs a source, adding, “Shraddha loves performing to a live audience and is working very hard on her stage turn. The fact that she will be performing on the same stage as her favourite band seems surreal to her.” — Avinash Lohana