In a case of gross mismanagement, platinum concert- goers ended up in the same arena as silver ticket holders; a few attendees recall their nightmare and accuse organisers of apathy
Gaurav Sarkar (MID-DAY; May 12, 2017)

With the dissent over Justin Bieber’s concert running deep among a section of Mumbaikars, it seems the pop star’s lip-syncing and shortage of dustbins at the venue was just the tip of the iceberg.

“The queue at the box office was held up because they ran out paper to print the tickets on,” said 21-year-old Leon Saalis de Souza, a Byculla-based PR consultant and musician. Leon and his friend reached the venue at 5 pm, an hour before DJ Alan Walker — who they were excited about— was scheduled to come on stage. But the duo were stuck in a stationary queue for nearly an hour. “I managed to get my tickets close to 7 pm, but Walker’s set had ended by then.”

Silver, platinum same same
Given that the tickets were reportedly priced from Rs 5,000 to Rs 70,000, one would think that all the offers mentioned for the higher priced tickets, which includes free merchandise, a separate section distancing them from the lower paid ticket holders, as well as a back stage tour, would have been adhered to. However, the gig was so unorganised that the silver, platinum, and VVIP 3 sections ended up getting clubbed together.

Javed Sheikh, 48, a Colaba resident who attended the concert with his wife, daughter, and nephew, has written to BookMyShow citing that a ‘clear fraud has been committed by Bookmyshow and the event organisers’. His email states: “We demand a complete refund and also let us know as to how you would compensate us for the stress, inconvenience, loss of time and harassment.”

Speaking to mid-day, Sheikh, who had paid around Rs 35,000 for each VVIP 3 (backstage) ticket, said: “Our VVIP 3 passes promised us a backstage tour, free merchandise and the designated section for such ticket holders was highlighted in a different colour. But we were all clubbed together. Three hours into the show we were promised a different section, but that didn’t happen. The merchandise stall collapsed at 4 pm.”

Getting benefits of Rs 35,000 out of a Rs 15,000 ticket, he has asked his bank to do a chargeback on the tickets citing the same reasons.

Reacting to the complaint, a BookMyShow rep said, “We understand and share the customer’s concerns on some of the highlighted issues and are working with the organisers, White Fox India, to promptly address them.”

In spite of being the first ones to enter the gates at around 2 PM, Juhu-based fashion designer Amy Billimoria, who had bought two platinum tickets for Rs 15,000 each for her and her 13-year-old daughter Aaryanne early in February, had a nightmarish experience. “My daughter is a hardcore Belieber and wanted was to see him up close.” But after entering, Amy was unable to find the entry for the platinum section. They were guided through the silver arena, and were amazed to see that none other than silver ticket holders, who refused to budge, had occupied the front row in the platinum section. “Despite pointing that out to the authorities, none took action,” said Amy.

Ria Lawrence (MID-DAY; May 17, 2016)

Drama and glamour is what one looks for on the red carpet. And Aishwarya Rai Bachchan gave us just that during her fourth appearance at the Cannes Film Festival, making onlookers stop in their tracks. Dressed in a pastel-coloured gown, she drew attention for sporting bold lavender lips. As expected, self-designated critics took to social media with most people panning the look and some heaping praises on her for taking the risk.

We find the look rather striking with the make-up enhancing the beauty of the gown. If a Rihanna can do it, why can’t Ash? In fact, the 42-year-old seemed comfortable in her skin as she gave a rather cold response to the fashion police present at Cannes, saying in an interview, “I am an actor by my career choice. I enjoy fashion and I treat it like art and I have a life, a family. So, I am not focusing on all of this. It doesn’t stress me out. It doesn’t get me nervous.” While we laud her for not playing it safe and serving up a look that will certainly be remembered, we spoke to a few experts about her choice of lip colour.

Rick Roy, designer
I love Ash; she is one of the prettiest women in the world, but for God's sake what on earth was that lip? It was like a beauty brand launched a new lip colour called The Kiss of Oompa Loompa. It was 50 shades of wrong in one shade and I don't blame her since hair and make-up can be a brand's call at times, but I wonder what her team and stylist were thinking. Didn't they realise that it was totally weird and wrong? I am all for trying out new stuff and experimenting with bold elements in your look but, experimenting for the heck of it can be a disaster sometimes and this was definitely one. Ash can own the red carpet just by being who she is; I don't think someone of her calibre needs gimmicks like these.

Swapnil Shinde, designer
I, for one, am all about breaking the rules and although I am not a fan of that colour on the lips, I give Aishwarya full marks for going out of her comfort zone. It does remind me of the 'Joey' lipstick though.


Matt LeBlanc aka Joey Tribbiani wearing purple lipstick in a F.R.I.E.N.D.S. episode

Anisha Jain, stylist
It was a bold move, but not a move that worked for me. It was just a bad decision. And she doesn't really need green, pink or lavender; she's beautiful as is.

Kunal Rawal, designer
The outfit was truly elegant. Since the lavender lips were bold, the look felt jarring. Definitely didn't go well together.

Amy Billimoria, couturier
Aishwarya never fails to stun on the red carpet. She made a bold move to wear the purple lipstick and it really was bold. While many people might like it, I was truly disappointed; it took away all the attention from the overall look.

Rocky S, designer
As the brand ambassador she is showing off the brands new range of colours; this look is different and can be difficult to be snapped and that's probably why it doesn't justify how she would look in person. It comes across as too bright and mismatched. Having said that, I do think it must have looked awesome in person and on the red carpet; sadly pictures don't do it justice.