Panaji: A guitar. A high chair. A final bow. Remo Fernandes fuelled his career with restless energy, cross-language hits and a stage presence that couldn’t sit still. His closing act came sitting down.

Indian pop-rock’s road warrior called time on his concert career at 73 and ended a 6-decade run with a live performance in London, saying he could no longer give audiences “100%” of himself.

Known for prowling every inch of a stage, Remo sang Sunday night’s show at a UK-Goan festival seated on a high chair, delivering favourites in English, Konkani, Portuguese, Hindi and French. The audience responded with thunderous applause, singing along to “Humma Humma”, “O Meri Munni”, “Maria Pitache” and even requesting “Pyaar To Hona Hi Thaa”.

“I’m used to moving around the stage. It was extremely constricting and limiting doing a show sitting on a high chair. Besides, in that crouching position, my lungs felt restricted for singing,” he told TOI over the phone from UK.

The Padma Shri recipient said he would not continue with seated performances. “I feel I’ll be cheating on my audience and myself if I’m not able to give 100% of myself.”

Remo said a mild stroke after his third Covid vaccination affected movement of his fingers. Persistent vertigo, worsened by a fall that required surgery, has left doctors advising him against performing standing up because of the risk of another fall.

Calling time on live concerts leaves him with mixed emotions. “On the one hand, I’m happy as I’m tired of performing... on the other hand, I guess I’ll miss it sometimes.”

His journey began at age 5 in then Portuguese-governed Goa, singing a Portuguese waltz with a banjo in Panaji. By 14, he was writing love songs. Architecture studies in Mumbai led to Indo-Western experimentation before hitchhiking across Europe and North Africa, busking, writing songs and poems, and eventually returning to Goa.

Remo went on to become one of India’s biggest-selling rock musicians before crossing into Hindi pop and film music, earning gold, platinum and double-platinum records, winning international honours and sharing stages with Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin, Queen, Zakir Hussain, Trilok Gurtu and Eurythmics.

Now dividing his time between Portugal and Goa, he says there is no new project on the horizon after completing his autobiography and an opera on Mother Teresa. Instead, he hopes to spend his days reading, travelling and watching films. “Goa is home, however spoiled it is... my home in Siolim keeps bringing me back.”

No farewell tour. No curtain call stretched out over months. Just one final concert in London. Remo played his last live set. His music still soared. His feet stayed still.

She was 21 when Spanish actor Penelope Cruz visited India for the first time. She says that her love for the country has only grown over the years, which has also resulted in her multiple visits here.

“I love India and feel a strong connection to the place,” she admits, adding, “When I visited the country for the first time, I worked with Mother Teresa, and that trip changed my life.”

Cruz says she now wishes to visit India with her family, husband, actor Javier Bardem, and kids — Luna (8) and Leo (11). “I have been to the country three times and hope to go again someday with my family. It’s such an inspiring and special place,” she adds.

A few years ago, Cruz wanted to work on a project in India, called Passion India, which was about a young flamenco dancer, who sparked a scandal in the early 20th century by marrying a maharaja.

Sharing an update on the project, she tells us, “That was quite some time ago. Some people involved in their family didn’t want the film to be made, and we wanted to be respectful of that. Hence, the movie never got made.”

But, as a producer, the 47-year-old continues to develop projects. And now, she wishes to focus more on work that’s behind the scenes.

Cruz, who has backed films such as Ma Ma (2015) and On The Fringe, says, “I am trying to move more towards that direction. But [the idea is] not [to make] four or five movies a year, that takes a lot of effort. I try to do (make films) once in a while. I am also directing a documentary that will take at least two years; it’s a dream [project] of mine.”

But she goes on to clarify that she is not leaving her first love, acting. She wants to continue to have a balance between all kinds of films — from her frequent Pedro Almodóvar (Spanish director) school of movies to big-action projects like The 355. “Both are different experiences. With Pedro, I have had a long relationship — we have done seven movies together. From doing small independent films to then doing something bigger, where you shoot for many months with a huge crew, like The 355 — I feel grateful,” she ends.

"Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired." -Mother Teresa

"His son is better now?“ asked one of the sisters at the gate, her voice dripping with affection. They were aware of the chain of events - little Ayaan's fight against cancer and the glorious victory. It didn't come as a surprise to Emraan Hashmi, who, stripped off his starry image, was just a concerned father as he reached Mother House - Saint Teresa's AJC Bose Road home (Kolkata) where she lived and served on Saturday, a little past 4 pm.

MY MOTHER HAD COME HERE
Emraan, who was in town to promote his latest film Raaz Reboot with co stars Gaurav Arora and Kriti Kharbanda, had expressed his desire to visit Mother House even before he touched down in the city. He had heard about the place at least a 1,000 times from his mother, Maherrah Hashmi, who breathed her last in March. With a deep sense of loss, Emraan said, “I have been hearing about Mother House since I was a kid. My mother, a Catholic, would talk a lot about this place and I think she had even come here once. If she was there today, she would have been very happy.“

Emraan, who offered white flowers at Saint Teresa's tomb, stood there for several minutes praying for son Ayaan, who has now joined school and is back to his normal routine after prolonged chemotherapy. Accompanied by sisters of the Missionaries of Charity, Emraan, Kriti and Gaurav next visited the prayer room upstairs. They were amused to see a Mother statue adorning the seat where she would pray since the early 1950s. Emraan was seen thumbing through the booklet on the saint that one of the sisters gifted him.

IF WE CAN DO ONE PER CENT OF WHAT SHE DID
There was more in store. “I went to her room upstairs and it was quite a revelation. This is the room where Mother breathed her last. The room is so small and so basic. This is from where she would work for the poorest of the poor. I could totally feel her love as I stood there. If we can do even one per cent of what she did, this world will be a much better place to live,“ said Emraan, who was crowded by visitors amazed to see him there.

The actor, who interacted with the sisters, was humbled by the experience. “I have started praying a lot more after my son's illness. And now I don't go to bed without praying. When you know you have no control over things, you want to hold on to hope,“ he said.

Mother Teresa was declared a saint by Pope Francis last Sunday at a canonisation ceremony held in Vatican City. The canonisation on September 4 came on the eve of her 19th death anniversary.