The downside of high expectations

This is the first T20 World Cup is entirely being held in Bangladesh only, which is a grand achievement for the country. It's not new that music and cricket go together, especially in this sub-continent. A R Rahman is a musical icon, and it was amazing to see him perform in the country. Many organizations had tried over the years to bring him to Bangladesh before, but he could never manage time to do so. This was the first time the maestro was in Bangladesh, thanks to the T20 World Cup. And I am sure, like me, the expectation from the concert was sky high. And according to the vibe I got from people in the audience – people did not leave satisfied. There was something missing. The X factor, which is common as such high profile concerts, was missing at this one. Personally, I think audience did not know what to expect, so expected an awe inspiring performance that would leave them speechless. But that did not happen. He tried to mix in all types of different songs, including sufi, upbeat and filmy songs in one concert, and I felt that the audience did not resonate well with that 'khichuri' combination. And there was no lack of local stars at the stage as well, including Runa Laila, Sabina Yasmin, Momtaz, Kumar Bishwajit, LRB, Souls, Arnob & Friends, and although Miles was in the list, they were not seen on stage. Not to mention the young performers who joined voices at the theme song, did well. Sitting amongst the audience during the opening ceremony of the T20 World Cup 2014, I was surprised to see the lack of enthusiasm in the faces of the people sitting alongside me when local performers were performing. But they changed completely when A R Rahman came to stage. I tend to think that there is a sense of hype at play, which is okay, but the complete lack of appreciation and negligible claps during the performance of the bands and local performers were astonishing. If we don't love our artists, the artists of Bangladesh, how can the world love them? In my mind, one question was bothering me throughout the event. Why Akon? Was he really the right choice as the highlight performer? Neither does he have any relevance to cricket; nor does the man come from a country which participates in global cricketing events. I hope I get a chance to ask that question to the authorities.
Showbiz has covered many new faces in the world of showbiz, and this week we have Peya. We first saw her in the movie 'Chorabali', and three of her films are in the pipeline. Peya is as beautiful as she is tall, and although that is a plus point in modeling, it is difficult to find actors that suit her height! We hope Peya's career keeps growing and she grows as an actor with each film.