Mega Star Nite - A Bad Show
Mega Star Nite - A Bad Show
IT was a concert that had been plagued by two postponements since August. So it was a bit of relief when most of the stars showed up at Mega Star Nite, the tribute concert celebrating 75 Years of Tamil cinema, yesterday. But what was to have been a mega show ended up in mega chaos. And the trouble started from early in the evening at about 6.30pm when Tamil cinema fans took their seats at the Singapore Expo Hall 2.Those who paid for the $50, $60, $150 and $200-seats found their view of the stage blocked by 1.6m-high camera platforms set up by the official broadcaster, Sun TV. The unhappiest of the lot were those who had shelled out $500 a pop for the most expensive tickets near the stage. Their view was marred by a dolly track, which is used by a moving camera to take panning shots of the stage. It had been put up by the Tamil-language cable channel. The show was organized by Chennai-based Radaan Mediaworks and part of the Nadigar Sangam’s (South Indian Film Artistes Association) celebration.
Patrons were seen angrily asking Expo Hall ushers and security personnel to move them to better locations in the hall. Mr Gunaseelan, 39, a warehouse manager who had bought $150 seats, said security personnel directed him and his friends to the corner of the hall near the entrance. He said he ‘got fed up’ and decided to choose other empty seats. So he and his friends plonked themselves in front of the camera platform in the centre section of the hall. He added: ‘They (the security) asked me to leave, but I told them I would leave only if they got a better seat for me,’ he said.
In the end, Mr Gunaseelan was left alone to enjoy the show. But it wasn’t just a problem of blocked views. When the house lights dimmed, people in the cheaper seats surged forward to fill the more expensive ones near the stage. It came as an unpleasant surprise for latecomers who had bought those seats.
When they walked in at 7.30pm, they found their numbered seats occupied. Chaos erupted as patrons argued with each other and with security personnel over the seats. The arguments continued even when the show’s hosts took to the stage at about 7.30pm.Mr T Sai Rajan, 40, managing director of Sai Motor and his friend Mr S Chellappan, who owns fish head curry eatery The Banana Leaf Apolo, found their $500 seats occupied by other audience members.
When they complained, security personnel moved them to another row of seats, which cost the same price, but with a less than stellar view of the stage. Said Mr Sai angrily: ‘Why is this not done systematically? ‘The seating problems also angered sisters Jessica and Francine Martine, aged 13 and 17.Outside the hall before the show started, they were happily sharing how they had used their savings to buy two $150 tickets.
But, once inside the auditorium, they found themselves shuttled around from seat to seat. The sisters had found a pair of seats by the time the show started, but they were not the ones they had paid for. By 8pm, the chaos began to settle down as patrons who lost their seats grudgingly settled down to watch the three-hour show from another location.
However, you won’t get to see photographs of the show or your favourite stars like Madhavan or Reema Sen.Due to a mix-up, the show’s Indian-based organisers told The New Paper we were not allowed to take photographs of the event. This is because Sun TV had bought the rights to the show and would not allow local media to take photographs. When contacted, local co-organiser Clav International refused to take our calls on why this mix-up could have happened. The show itself turned out to be an entertaining tribute to Tamil cinema.
Younger stars like Simbu, Sangeetha, Sandhya, Abbas and Jeeva performed numbers from films over the decades from the 1930 to 2007.There were video montages of films starring legendary actor and the late Tamil Nadu chief minister, MG Ramachandran, known among his devout fans as MGR, as well as megastar Rajnikanth. Veteran actresses Manorama and Saroja Devi, along with actor S S Rajendran, were honoured with Lifetime Achievement Award trophies.
Things took an off-key turn when pretty actress Sneha took to the stage and sang four Tamil hit songs badly. When some in the audience apparently gestured for her to stop, she mistook it for appreciation, saying: ‘Whenever I come to Singapore, I always get a good response. Thank you so much.’ By the time the finale rolled around, it was apparent that some of the promised actors like Vijay, Vikram, Trisha and Asin would not show up at all. Housewife Madam Kokilavani Subramaniam, 42, who paid $100 for her ticket described it as an ‘okay show’.’ It was worth the $100 I paid for it. But I think those who paid $500 would have been disappointed.’
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