STILL THE BEST

IT WAS an infatuation which, unbelievably, led to an intoxicating encounter when Bollywood's biggest star Shah Rukh Khan stood in all his glory two metres away during Bakti's exclusive Charity Concert at the Merdeka Hall of PWTC last Sunday.

The minute he flashed those cute, saucy dimples, this brazen fan was all ready to launch into an all-out flirtation (and who knows what else?) with the Bollywood King, vigilant eyes of several VIPs, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad notwithstanding.

Unfortunately, despite the ``bodyguard'' tag on me, I had no access to this lover-boy idol of Dil To Pagal Hai, Pardes, Dil Se and one of the biggest box office Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. The closest I got to realising my fantasy was when Shah Rukh threw a teddy bear at me, which left me agog and starstruck. Unfortunately, a makcik seated at my feet rudely snatched it away, and in doing so, scratched me ....

Though the evening was filled with great entertainment by singers Udit Narayan and Nayan Rathod, and beautiful actresses Manisha Koirala and Juhi Chawla, the main star was undoubtedly Shah Rukh.

The euphoria he created in the hall was positive indication that his star power is far from diminishing. Predictions by Bollywood film pundits who anticipated his career ``obituary'' and dwindling popularity after new and younger heartthrob Hrithik Roshan came into the picture were completely off the mark.

The charisma and magic he exuded sent many frenzied fans in the hall screaming. Teenage girls went weak at the knees, mothers swooned and kids gushed at the sight of this megastar. Not forgetting the male species who watched with envy in while reserving their praises for this actor's acting, dancing skills and persona.

Getting crazy over Hindi songs and stars are a norm but going delirious over miming sessions (which was what the show was) is something else. It was unbelievable how his fans cheered and screamed when he broke into songs from hit movies like Koyla (where he was a mute labourer), Dil To Pagal Hai (a passionate dancer) and Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (a sharp, shrewd TV journalist Ajay Bakshi).

He interacted with his fans through autograph-signing sessions, ``singing'', dancing and throwing mementos and souvenirs in the form of teddy bears and balls to the audience.

At one point, he recited a pantun. Though he struggled with his atrocious Bahasa pronunciation, the crowd loved him for the attempt.

The lovable Shah Rukh joked, pranced, mingled and made sure everyone had a whale of a time at the concert. He included songs like Mere Mehboob Mere Sanam from Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayange, Wah Hi Wah (Duplicate) and Bholi Si Soarat (Dil To Pagal Hai).

Female fan Vareen, an accountancy student was all goo-goo eyes over her idol and unashamedly made attempts to seduce him with her coy replies and tender gestures which made the amiable Shah Rukh almost speechless for once.

When she finally announced ``Mum and Dad I am in love with Shah Rukh Khan'' and kissed him, no one could possibly blame her for the confession. The special moments were overwhelming for both Vareen and Shah Rukh Khan fans.

Earlier on during the show, the elegant and witty emcee Ruby Bhatia who last appeared over ntv7 in BPL Oye! kept the show spirited with her candid and smart delivery.

Young playback singer Nayan Rathod kicked off the fervour with a song from Hrithik Roshan's megahit movie Kahona Pyar Hai.

Another act which heated things up for the 2,500-strong audience at the hall was Manisha Koirala. The exotic Nepal beauty invited the first scream when she appeared in a shimmering misty grey and peach attire, miming the song from the movie Bombay.

At the sight of her exquisite beauty, unofficial photographers young and old started to scramble up just below the stage in front of the first row, rudely intruding the privacy and vision of my previously unhampered view. The security officials had to work overtime, making sure Manisha's fans were under control.

Manisha looked so sultry and composed (though she did not appear again for the curtain call as she wasn't well) and swayed and waltzed through a medley from movies Mann, Khamoshi, Agni Sakshi and Dil Se backed by four dancers.

The next repertoire had a calming effect on the audience. The melodious voice of playback singer Udit Narayan was simply enthralling as he rendered familiar tunes from the movies Kahona Pyar Hai, Mann and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayange, complemented by the excellent back-up musicians of the eight-piece Rhythm Nation.

His controlled and limited choreography would have been a distraction if not for his voice. Though he tried hard to work on his confined moves, it was obvious that Udit is just another par excellence playback singer. Period.

Former beauty-queen Juhi Chawla who is noted for her infectious giggles on screen mesmerised the audience when she appeared in a deep purple cape which she later discarded to make way for a glistening silver and yellow outfit which revealed a flawless navel area.

When Juhi started the first bar of the title track of the movie Ishq (which starred Amir Khan, Kajol and Ajay Devgan), the number of pseudo-cameramen in front of the stage doubled.

Promoter Raj Bhatt from Pro-Imej Production Sdn Bhd who retained the exclusive rights to bringing the awesome Shah Rukh Khan to our shores three times in a row should be commended for the brilliant effort. To justify that he is no ordinary promoter, Raj took the mike and entertained the guests with his cool, polished and effortless rendition of Main Koyi Aisa Geet from the Yes Boss movie, making him the only promoter allowed to share the limelight with Bollywood stars.

The successful closed-door concert which ended well after midnight was aimed at underprivileged, spastic and handicapped children. The effect of the fun-filled entertainment would linger in our minds long after Shah Rukh completed his One Two Ka Four shoot this month.

All the fantasy came to an abrupt end when I was rudely jolted back to reality. I came away feeling like Rishma, the character who was obsessed with ``little-boy-lost'' Shah Rukh in Chahat.

BY ZIEMAN - PUBLISHED 27/7/2000