The second edition of the Comedy Central Chuckle Festival was able to generate a tremendous amount of buzz from the moment it was announced. After all it was the first ever performance of the satirical British comedian, Russel Brand, in India. While reaching the Talkatora Stadium on June 26 ’15 one could easily anticipate the amount of hard work put in by the organizers of the event. Clearly displayed sign boards at equal distances and well mapped out security ensured that the problems of traffic were taken care of. The entry into the auditorium was easy but like most events, not even a bottle of water was permissible inside the auditorium. Clearly the organizers have not experienced the horrifying heat in Delhi the way we have, Anyhow. As I entered it was surprising to notice that not even half of the total seats of the venue were occupied and the results of an inadequate marketing campaign were widely evident. We did see some outdoor advertising in the city and Comedy Central had been announcing the event for a while, but clearly that wasn’t enough given the turn out at the event. The event did not start on time (Namaste India!) and the audience faced a collective dilemma whether should they move out for some food or stay and patiently wait for their moment to Chuckle.The curtainsrose at 8 PM as the insanely funny Sanjay Manaktala welcomed the audience. Sanjay was effortlessly charming with his puns on his own accent and his corny yet hilarious representation of an Indian woman while taking seflies pulled the crowd together. And so just 5 minutes into the beginning of the fest the audience could already be seen chuckling. Second in line was Jeeveshu Ahluwalia who was absolutely riveting with his unabashed and unapologetic depiction of the problems of a fat man dealing with ordinary struggles of life. NeetiPaltawas OK!Her performance at the most was average as the audience struggled to find reasons to laugh. The biggest surprise came when Sanjay Manaktala announced the absence of Papa CJ from the show. With Papa CJ being prominently advertised to perform at the event,I too like most fans present in the auditorium felt somewhat cheated. Though organizers claimed the reason for the last hour cancellation wasa result of him missing his flight, inside sources reveal that Papa CJ was very well present in Delhi on the day. His absence was because he never signed the contract with Chuckle Fest to begin with. The source quotes, “Though negotiations were ongoing, a final deal was never struck. Live Viacom18 sent Papa CJ an amended contract at 6PM while the show was about to begin at 7.30 on the same night.” Interestingly, validating this point is the fact that Papa CJ who is quite active on social media never really posted anything about being a part of the Chuckle Festival. So was this event an effort to capitalize on his popularity? Oh well. The disappointed audience was comforted almost instantly as Russell Brand took to the stage. The 40-year-old performer truly lived up to his name from the moment he stepped on the stage and had the audiences hooked onto his one-liners and strong witticismsright from the get go. His signature British accent, crude cockney slang and the part where he involved the audience through phone conversations made the audience stand up from their chairs and applaud him. Needless to say Brand was at the top of his game here and delivered a great performance to his fans in Delhi. Big smiles exiting the auditorium were evidence of an audience having received its money’s worth. Though it may have grappleda bitin terms of execution but the second edition of the Comedy Central Chuckle Festival 2015 indeed managed to make the audience Chuckle as promised. Yes a lot of things from dirty toilets to Papa CJ-gone-missing irked me, but it is the overall enjoyment quotient that actually matters for an event at the end and,as far as the deliverables of the main content is concerned,the Chuckle Festival was absolutely bang on.
Read More
In a country like India, Trucking as a profession has always been looked down upon. Even though it is known to be one of the most profitable careers across the world, trucking is one of those cultures that really never caught on in India in form of a main stream career option. After receiving an invitation to T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship on March 15, 2015, one might think is it even possible to have trucks race around the Buddha International Circuit Track like highly specialized and modified vehicles? But all such perceptions were immediately void as one would walk into the arena. With a crowd of over 35000 cheering, hooting and roaring on the top of their lungs the atmosphere was simply electrifying. Tata Motors should certainly be applauded for attempting to bring in a whole new culture in the country. “Making Trucking the new cool” is not easy considering how undermined it is in India but together with the event company T.I.C. who executed the event, they managed to put on a championship that could easily compete with racing events of global standards. The season 2 of Tata Motors T1 Prima Truck Racing Championship began with the signature Harley Bike Drive followed by the T1 Prima Truck Racing Parade wherein the giants about to be locked into a glorious battle were showcased. The six teams for Championship Season II were – Team Castrol Vecton, Team Cummins, Team Tata Technologies Motorsports, Team Allied Partners ,Team Dealer Warriors and Team Dealer Daredevils. The opening ceremony also witnessed interesting performances by numerous Bollywood celebrities with actor/anchor Manish Paul introducing them. While Badshah, the notable rapper performed on songs like Saturday and Abhi to Party ShuruHuiHai, it was the magnificent trio of Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy which truly charmed the audiences with performances on songs like- Hindustani. An additional performance by Benny Dayal however, could not meet up the expectations of people as the artist appeared to be completely off mood with the dynamics of the event. However what ‘T1 Truck Racing Championship’ got bang on was the milieu: the atmospherics, the organizing, and the edge of the seat action of the race itself. The adrenalin rush and high speed corners had the audience roaring with each twist and turn. Even with the major downpour acting as the biggest obstacle in the race, it was unable to bring down the spirit of the participants who gave it their best to wow the audience with their terrific driving capabilities. Rasheed Syed, a spectator who also attended the season 1 of the championship said- “This edition is certainly better. It’s better managed, the crowd is more and we are all excited. But I do feel they could have taken better care of the time as the event is late on schedule.” The winners of the race was Stuart Oliver of Team Castrol Vecton, Steve Thomas of Team Allied Partners was the first runner-up, with Steven Powell of Team Tata Technologies clinching the second runner-up spot. Apart from the race itself, the highlights of the event also included the social media stations located at various places where in the audience could take pictures from and directly upload them, a specialized kids corner that featured in numerous cartoon avatars, the Tata Motors parade that featured all heavy automobiles by the company and closing ceremony witnessed performances by Badshah and Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy with an added laser and firework show to engage the audience. The organizers T.I.C and the Tata Motors have truly managed to create their own niche in this first of its kind event in India, but with the promise of a third edition being even bigger the result is going to be something to look out for.
Read More
Besides actual layers of clothing, one of India’s commended offerings to stand up comedy, Papa CJ, strips down on several levels for his audience in his latest act- Naked. However the term ‘Naked’ has a different meaning all together for Papa CJ. The show is actually an attempt by the performer to bare himself to the audience, literally, and symbolically by stripping his apprehensiveness and displaying his vulnerabilities, and in such way introducing his fans to a new dimension of his personality.So to answer the question- Whats common between Papa CJ Naked and an onion? Well, lots of layers. And you are likely to cry. To start from the beginning of his performance, Papa CJ has to be credited for the fact that he gets his audience on the hook the minute he takes to the stage. The first half of the show is loosely devoted to jokes based on the comparison between generations. A word of caution to the young audiences-you may want to be seated somewhere towards the back. I learnt that lesson the hard way. Unlike most stand up comedy acts that have been performed lately this one is not just a mix bag of jokes one after another. It is instead, different elements of CJ’s life woven together in a compelling story that will evoke not just humor but a whole new set off unexpected emotions. The audiences are left to wonder at the beginning,the ‘Family appropriate quotient’ of the show as CJ begins to take off layer after layer as he shares his personal intimate experiences. However it is towards the second half of the show when Papa CJ makes you realize that he has truly enveloped you in his life journey and the audience is now a part of it too. It is not easy to walk down the miseries of a break-up in front of thousands but Papa CJ does it with an unconventional ease and comfort. CJ appeared unabashedly unrestrained on the stage often taking the high road to ensure the audience is getting its moneys worth. Surprisingly,it is the not the jokes that stay with you after 60 minutes of solid comedy, it is CJ and his life journey that makes you stand up and applaud as the comedian begins to leave the stage after a tear jerking narrative. Is Papa CJ Naked the best comedy act to be presented in the country? Well maybe not. But since it straddles the genres of theater, storytelling and stand-up comedy, its unique and memorable concept sure does make for a refreshing experience.
Read More
EDM Supersonic Vh1 by EE News Desk | on May 29, 2015 | in News | Like it India’s definitive dance music experience, Vh1 Supersonic, is all set to woo dance music lovers in the country with super special priced early bird tickets, sales for which opened on May 27 at 12 noon. In its third year now, Vh1 Supersonic Goa 2015 promises to be a much grander affair than ever as the festival is all set to widen its audience base by introducing never-before-heard-of offers on tickets including the opportunity for music lovers to block tickets at 20% of the total ticket amount now and paying the entire amount in September, thus allowing more people to have access to the Vh1 Supersonic Experience in Goa. The four days long event, which promises to host a star-studded line up of dynamic artists from across the globe will be held from December 27 – 30, 2015 on the shores of the Candolim beach in Goa. Building on the last year’s success where approximately 100,000 dance music fans found heaven on earth at Candolim beach, Last year renowned artists like Paul Van Dyk, Dash Berlin, Above & Beyond, Infected Mushrooms, Roger Sanchez, Carl Craig, The Chainsmokers, Stanton Warriors, Dillon Francis, BL3ND, FUNKAGENGA, HOOK N SLING, MARK KNIGHT, MAT ZO and many more performed at Vh1 Supersonic, turning up the level of excitement and energy on the sultry sands of Candolim beach in Goa.
Read More
