Nagpur singers present RD Burman numbers with style and élan

NAGPUR: Old is gold, but this one was titled Diamonds Forever. The musical show based on evergreen songs of RD Burman kept the audience in thrall on Monday evening at Scientific Society Hall. Belting out these popular numbers were some of the most liked voices of the city, Sagar Madhumatke, Mayank Lakhotia and Shrinidhi Ghatate.
The thirty odd numbers, including two medleys, covered the entire gamut of the composer’s range and work.The major pull of the programme was song selection. The numbers originally sung by veterans Lata Mangeshkar, Asha Bhosle, Mohd Rafi and Kishore Kumar were rendered with élan by the three city singers.
Presenting Rafi numbers was Lokhatia, who began the show with Kya hua tera vada and the superhit Tumne mujhe dekha. He kept the magic alive with a few more like Gulabi ankhen and O hasina zulfon wali. Taking the stage after him was Shrinidhi, who did a fine job of Raina beet jaaye and Do lafzo ki hai. But her silky smooth rendition of Mera kuch saaman tumhare pass pada hai, had the power to move one to tears.
Appearing from amidst the audience, Sagar Madhumatke copied not just Kishore’s singing but also his style in his interactions with the audience. He brought alive the era of seventies and eighties when the Kishore and RD combination ruled Bollywood. Ye joh mohabbat hai, Nadiya se dariya, Kuch toh log kahenge and Main shayar badnam were all heard and enjoyed by a packed hall.
Contributing in no small measure to the magic of the evening was the set of musicians on keyboards, octopad and tabla. The combination of dholak and tabla for the song Bahon main chala aa was specifically noteworthy.
The programme was organized by Siddhi Vinayak Publicity and Events. “Local talent can do full justice to these golden melodies. It’s just that the programme has to be designed well and the choice of songs should have wide appeal,” said Sameer Pandit, who conceptualized the event.