Dhaka: Over 25 people, mostly students, were injured after a mob attacked a concert - in which popular Bangladeshi singer James was scheduled to perform - in Faridpur on Friday night, amid growing insecurity in the country's cultural sphere after a spree of attacks on artistes by hardliners campaigning for austerity and purity.

He gained popularity in India for hit Bollywood numbers - 'Bheegi Bheegi' and 'Alvida'.

Local authorities blamed the chaos on the ineptitude of organizers who failed to fathom the simple fact that the fame of James would draw in numbers many times more than they expected and planned for.

Coming after similar incidents and threats issued by Islamists to enforce a culture and a lifestyle compliant with their version of pure and austere Islam, the fiasco at Faridpur will reinforce the perception of Bangladesh as an inhospitable territory for artistes.

"I saw the whole incident. It was terrifying. Even after returning to Dhaka, the trauma doesn't seem to go away," said Srabanya Touhida, who was anchoring the event, recalling the large mob outside the event's venue and the chaos caused as it hurled bricks and stones on the audience.

On the incident, exiled Bangladeshi author Taslima Nasreen said on X, "The cultural centre Chhayanaut has been burned to ashes. Udichi - the organization that was built to foster a secular and progressive consciousness through the promotion of music, theater, dance, recitation, and folk culture-has also been burned to ashes. Today, jihadists did not allow the renowned singer James to perform at an event."

She also claimed that a few days ago, Siraj Ali Khan - the grandson of Ali Akbar Khan and great-grandson of maestro Ustad Allauddin Khan - had come to Dhaka, but returned "without performing any programme and saying he wouldn't come to Bangladesh again until artists, music, and cultural institutions are safe".

"Two days ago, Ustad Rashid Khan's son Arman Khan also declined Dhaka's invitation. He too made it clear that he does not wish to set foot in a Bangladesh inhabited by music-hating jihadists," the author claimed.

The injured were admitted to a local hospital, and among them was also the convener of the reunion committee of Faridpur Zilla School. Faridpur Kotwali police station in-charge Mohammad Shahidul Islam said that 20,000 to 25,000 people gathered outside the school after news spread of James's arrival. "It was impossible to accommodate such a large crowd inside the premises," he said, adding that the concert was cancelled to restore order. Officials said more than 25 people were injured.

James's spokesperson Rubaiyat Thakur Robin called it "complete mismanagement and failure of the organizers." The band - Nagarbaul - arrived in Faridpur around 7.30 pm for the concert and were staying at a guest house. "We only learnt about the chaos after the programme had started. When the situation became extreme around 10.30 pm, we were informed that the concert has been cancelled. We then returned to Dhaka," he said.

The organising committee said the reunion was meant exclusively for registered former and current students. "However, thousands of people gathered outside the school," it said.

Dissatisfied, some outsiders attempted to climb the boundary wall around 9.30 pm. When security personnel stopped them, they began throwing bricks at the audience and the stage inside the school premises. The situation escalated further when four to five individuals managed to enter the premises, but were confronted by students, the officials said.

There was this South bandwagon going on through the pandemic developed by the media mainly to put Hindi cinema down as within the digital world, that was the need of the hour to get views or likes. Now post the pandemic, there has been a record number of dubbed releases from the South and most of them have met their disaster fate. 

The bigger thing than the final fate is that there are just no takers of South films from the first day as shows get cancelled. These films open to such limited audiences that even if there is some likeability in a region where South films are more appealing, it will still not get much collections due to the no show on the first day.

There will be the branded films like KGF - CHAPTER 2 and RRR which either have value from a previous film or the director has some value due to his previous film which you know have great chances to score. Then there will be a PUSHPA: THE RISE - PART 01 type of a film which comes along and surprises but even that will always be a rarity. Also PUSHPA: THE RISE - PART 01 had a budget and scale which also gives it a chance. But the sort of releases which we have been seeing are basically tack fests and met their deserved fate.

Some of the bigger Telugu releases which are probably the best bets did not even bother with a dubbed version as they knew the likely results. The box office collections of South films released in Hindi in 2022 are as follows and the fate outside KGF - CHAPTER 2 and RRR is a total disaster. Anything can be written to paint a certain picture but numbers never lie.

Khiladi - 1.4 crore

Valimai - 2.1 crore

ET - 6 lakhs

Radhe Shyam - 17.41 crore

James - 50k

RRR - 275 crore

KGF - Chapter 2 - 427 crore

Raw (Beast) - 2.3 crore

Major - 9.6 crore (2 weeks)

Vikram: Hitlist - 6 crore (2 weeks) (Note - This film has not done well but has held at those low levels. The film started with a 25 lakh first day and may well end up with around 10 crore nett lifetime driven by Mumbai circuit as third week should be better than second due to lack of releases)

777 Charlie - 1.65 crore (1 week)

There are going to be many more South dubbed releases this year or are being planned to be released and the disasters will continue to pile up.

Actor Priya Anand, who is shooting for James co-starring Puneeth Rajkumar, says that she’s in the happiest place that she has ever been in, both personally and professionally. “I have got so many opportunities which found their way to me. It’s a blessing. I am a lucky girl and I don’t take anything in life for granted. Especially after last year, one has to ensure balance in life and I think I have found that balance,”she says.

Co-starring with Rajkumar would be a big deal for any actor, and it’s no different for Priya, who is working with him once again. “He is one of the nicest people I know, let alone one of the nicest co-stars I have. It is lovely to work with him. It is always special as we gave such a huge hit, Rajkumara (2017) together, so we are hoping to recreate that magic again. James is a family drama, entertainer and an action film, yet, for all audiences,” says Anand, who has also featured in Bollywood films such as English Vinglish (2012) and Fukrey (2013).

Having done films in Malayalam, Telugu and Tamil, apart from Kannada, the actor admits she enjoys Kannada movies a lot. “Audiences liked me, the industry liked me, so I could survive. That has to be in your favour. Doing films in different languages is fun as each one has its own speciality. But I love the Kannada industry, as I feel I have been spoilt over here. I never had to struggle in Kannada as I started with one of the biggest stars, Puneeth Rajkumar,” says Anand, who will shoot for another Kannada project, RDX soon.

Mohit Ahlawat, 32, was Ram Gopal Varma's blue-eyed boy when he launched him in James a few years back. Then hell broke loose in Mohit's life and he went through a separation and got into drugs. Even though he comes from a wealthy background and his father owns a Bentley and Ferrari, he always wanted to make it on his own, just like his father had done. He is emotional, loyal and hot-tempered. He claims to have both, self-respect and ego, but is simple and straightforward. Today, he is not just out of drugs, but is completely dedicated to only pursuing his dream of becoming a star. He may not have many friends, but he trusts his family friends, Krishan and Bhushan Kumar, blindly. Ahead of his upcoming romantic film Ek Paheli Leela, he talks to Bombay Times about his mentor Ram Gopal Varma, his life at the rehab and why he will never divorce his separated wife, Sai. Excerpts:

How did you come into films?
We are Jats from Panipat. My father exports home furnishings and he has factories in India and China. He was very close to Gulshan Kumarji and so I would visit Bhushan and Kishen in Mumbai. I was visiting them once in 1999 and from Mumbai was to go to Dubai, but I still remember I went to Somi Ali's birthday party at Piano Bar with Kishen. There was this song Oh Oh Jaane Jana that was playing and I saw Salman Khan. I was 120 kilos that time, but I had decided that I wanted to be like him. I got stuck and never landed up even going to Dubai. I went back to Panipat instead, lost weight and came back to Mumbai. In the meantime, I also finished my graduation from Hindu College. I would be in Mumbai and go back just to give my exams. I told Bhushan I wanted to become an actor. I lived in his house for five years when I came to Mumbai. This was before his marriage. He treated me like his own brother. I had always been impressed with Ram Gopal Varma's work and wanted to start with him. I went to meet Ramu and showed him my pictures and he said, 'We will do something.' And he launched me in James.

From being Ram Gopal Varma's blue-eyed boy, you don't work with him today. What went wrong?
He is a very intelligent man and is my mentor. He is egoistic, but is a very nice-hearted person. He thinks for others. But sometimes, his ego is so big that he doesn't understand anything. His brain only thinks cinema and work all the time. I used to respect him a lot and I did two films with him. But after that, he wanted me to do Amitji's role in Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag and I was not happy with the film. He did not take that well and so I left him.

There were stories talking about how Ramu was obsessed with you. Was there any truth in those?
He was never obsessed with me. He is not bisexual. He saw a young angry man in me. He always felt that I would be a superstar one day and always encouraged me. He always treated me like a star. But he gets egoistic when you refuse him for a role. I miss him sometimes, especially when I want to ask someone for advice. He does not show it from outside, but inside he has a soft heart. I have always wanted to be called Ram Gopal Varma's blue-eyed boy and would still like to be called so. He was the one who gave me my break despite my not being from the industry. I want to work with him and will definitely do that some day, but not now.

No one knows where you were past few years?
Since I was a kid, I travelled the world with my father and was exposed to healthy food. Being a Jat, my body easily gets six packs with exercising. But few years back, keeping those eight packs for a long time, my stomach and intestine lining was gone totally. I had got into drugs due to a bad marriage and due to my professionally not doing well. So I was being treated. I spent a few months even in New York in a rehab. Consuming drugs is a disease. But today, I eat healthy, have just six packs and am totally out of it.

Talk about the time you were being treated?
During my treatment, they gave me electric shocks, as a result my memory for those two years is totally erased. They study your brain and give you some chemicals to remove that part. It was life changing. I saw the craziest people of the world. And I was one of them. When I left the rehab, the first thing is that you feel like going back to drugs. It's a disease. While you are in the rehab, you don't have access to it. They give you so many electric shocks and medicines, you become a vegetable. I tried it only once after coming out, but felt very unhappy and guilty. I saw my father's face and could not do it after that. I want to tell every person who consumes drugs that insan sab kuch kar sakta hai. If you want to leave it, you can.

What is the status of your marriage today?
I had a love marriage just before the release of James. My wife Sai Purandare Johar is from Australia. She had come for modeling to Mumbai, which is where we met. We are now separated past five years after the shooting of Shagird. We have an eight-year-old daughter, who lives with her. They both live in Sydney and I am in touch with both of them and every three months, we go for a holiday for a few days. Sai is the mother of my daughter and I still say that she is a very nice person. I will say that I was the bad person between us. We separated as we did not get along. But she was my best friend and I miss her a lot and have missed her at every step of my life. I will never divorce her. She still has those old things in mind and she has not seen me transformed today. She is a very good mother. I am still waiting for her to come back. And I know that she will.

Have you changed today?
I was a very giving person earlier, but now I have become a little more matlabi. I am very emotional, but have learnt to become tough now. I realised that except for my family and Krishan and Bhushan, there was no one standing next to me when I was down and out. I was alone suffering, both mentally and professionally. I understood that you have to be successful and you have to do everything on your own. If you are successful, everything is good and if you are not, then nothing is good.

Who do you love the most in the world?
My father. My grandfather was a Colonel in the British army and my father made it so big on his own. I too want to make it on my own. He was the only one who took care of me and I realised his value during the time I was being treated. He stopped working and only worked on getting me cured. He just wants me to concentrate on work now, not get into bad company and not allow people to use me. He wants me to be safe and have a good living.

Why do you look up while talking?
I feel like someone is up there looking after me. It's my habit since childhood. My mother tells me that I was born with an orange-coloured trishul on my forehead which disappeared when I was three years old, but I am a believer in Lord Shiva.

How was your experience working with Sunny Leone?
She is a nice person, very hardworking and very professional. I didn't know that she is a porn star before. Seriously. I just assumed that she was a model from Playboy or something like that. We were shooting in Jaisalmer when my father called me up there and said to me, 'Don't ever behave in front of her as if she is a porn star. She is a very nice person. Be always well-dressed and well-mannered. Don't do anything stupid.' I think given where she has come from, she is a rockstar.