Comedian and TV presenter Hasan Minhaj is hosting a star-studded virtual concert to support India’s fight against Covid-19.
Vax India Now, which began streaming live on Thursday and will be repeated many times throughout the day, features performances by musicians including Alicia Keys, Sting, Annie Lennox, A R Rahman, Yo-Yo Ma, Gloria Estefan, Josh Groban and conductor Zubin Mehta, as well as tenor Andrea Bocelli and his son Matteo.
Hollywood actors Liam Neeson and Aasif Mandvi also made appearances along with Bollywood stars Shilpa Shetty, Katrina Kaif, Shabana Azmi, Anil Kapoor and Anupam Kher.
All proceeds will go to Unicef’s Covid-19 relief efforts and vaccine roll-out in India, which has been devastated by a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. More than 20 million cases have been reported, with a death toll reaching more than 400,000.
Vax India Now is the brainchild of Indian-American singer Anuradha Palakurthi, who goes by the name Juju. She also performed a song specially written for the event called Hum Saath Hai (We Are Together).
“Artists have a long track record of using their reach and star power to right social injustices,” she told The Hindu newspaper ahead of the event. "The celebrities participating here volunteered their time and effort and just said ‘Yes’ when we asked; we owe them a debt of gratitude."
Minhaj, whose award-winning Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj was cancelled by Netflix in 2020 after two years, is currently on tour across the US with his stand-up show The King's Jester. The comedian, who gained fame as a contributor on The Daily Show, is set to appear in his first major acting role with the second season of The Morning Show, the Golden Globe-nominated Apple TV+ drama starring Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon.
"If there is one thing Covid-19 has taught us is that when challenged we can do it when we do it together," Minhaj said, introducing the event and highlighting the difference between vaccine roll-outs in the US, where he is based, and in India.
"We can save lives. All we need is to click the button and donate," Minhaj said. "Do it for India because they need it the most right now. Because none of us are safe until all of us are safe."
You can watch the live stream on vaxindianow.com.
