For the four-hour show Mirchi Bollywood Rocks on Friday, which marks Radio Mirchi's first anniversary in the UAE, the Bollywood songstress Sunidhi Chauhan will take the stage with the musical trio Shankar Ehsan Loy, supported by a live band. It's the first time these musicians have come together to perform live in the UAE.
The Show
For the concert, the musical powerhouses will perform some of the Bollywood numbers they have become famous for, including recent and not-so-recent hits. In Chauhan's case, this means songs like Be-inteha from this year's Race 2 all the way back to Sheila Ki Jawani and Ainvay Ainvay. For Shankar Ehsaan Loy, this could be songs from Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara and My Name is Khan, all the way back to Dil Chahta Hai and Kal Ho Naa Ho.
Chauhan, who frequently visits Dubai, says she can't wait to be back in the city to perform for her UAE-based fans: "The UAE has always been a fabulous place for me to perform and I'm back again for Mirchi Bollywood Rocks. It looks set to be one of my biggest shows in the Middle East and I am set to belt out all my hit numbers."
In a joint statement, the members of Shankar Ehsaan Loy spoke about their forthcoming return: "We are excited for the show and have fond memories of performing in the UAE. This is going to be a fantastic concert."
The artists
Chauhan first performed in front of an audience at the age of 4, and went on to become one of the most respected playback singers in India. She has sung for Hindi, Tamil and Kannada films for many years, but her work for Bollywood films has brought her the most fame. Her first Bollywood collaboration was in 1996 for the film Shastra when she was 13. Her first major hit came three years later with Ruki Ruki Si Zindagi from Ram Gopal Varma's film Mast in 1999. By the time she turned 19, she had racked up a count of more than 350 songs.
Chauhan has won numerous awards and been nominated for many more: she has two Star Screen Awards, two IIFA Awards, one Zee Cine Award, two Filmfare wins and a whopping 14 Filmfare Award nominations.
Lending his voice to Shankar Ehsaan Loy's work most often is Shankar Mahadevan, who started his musical training as a child under a popular Marathi composer, learning classical Hindustani and Carnatic music and playing the veena from the age of 5.
Mahadevan started his professional singing career playback singing for Tamil movies before moving into mainstream Bollywood. In 1998, he released his album Breathless, which garnered nationwide success.
The Shankar Ehsaan Loy guitarist Ehsaan Noorani studied music at the Musicians Institute in Los Angeles and lends an electric energy to the group's performances and work.
Loy Medonsa, who mainly studied Western classical music, contributes with the keyboard. As a team, the trio has won more than 20 awards.
Mirchi Bollywood Rocks begins at 10pm at the Dubai World Trade Centre on Friday. Tickets start at Dh200 and are available through www.timeouttickets.com, Virgin Megastores and Spinneys outlets. For more information, contact the promoters Purple Vogue Events at 056 136 4954
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
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THE BIO
Favourite place to go to in the UAE: The desert sand dunes, just after some rain
Who inspires you: Anybody with new and smart ideas, challenging questions, an open mind and a positive attitude
Where would you like to retire: Most probably in my home country, Hungary, but with frequent returns to the UAE
Favorite book: A book by Transilvanian author, Albert Wass, entitled ‘Sword and Reap’ (Kard es Kasza) - not really known internationally
Favourite subjects in school: Mathematics and science
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
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What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
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UAE cricketers abroad
Sid Jhurani is not the first cricketer from the UAE to go to the UK to try his luck.
Rameez Shahzad Played alongside Ben Stokes and Liam Plunkett in Durham while he was studying there. He also played club cricket as an overseas professional, but his time in the UK stunted his UAE career. The batsman went a decade without playing for the national team.
Yodhin Punja The seam bowler was named in the UAE’s extended World Cup squad in 2015 despite being just 15 at the time. He made his senior UAE debut aged 16, and subsequently took up a scholarship at Claremont High School in the south of England.
