What happens when a professor of management produces a musical show?  He ensures that the product delivered is of high quality and that the customer is happy with the product.  Khandan-e-Kapoor (KEK), a production that was led by Dr. Mohan Subramanium certainly delivered on its promise. It was a class act that pleased the audience.

It is quite a daunting task to take on the Kapoor Khandan music. The songs are some of the finest, often difficult to render  and extremely popular. To reproduce these songs in a high quality fashion is an easy task. However under the leadership of Mohan, the great team of singers including Sowmya Shree, Raghu Saranathan, Anuradha Palakurthi, Nidhi Tare Lad, Valentino Almeida and the little surprise package, Mohan’s own daughter Kiran Mani  delivered a fine performance.  KEK specialty was its strong focus on the delivery of the song itself.   The artists had worked sincerely and practiced well to deliver a good presentation.

The first half of the show was dedicated to  Raj Kapoor and Shashi Kapoor. Mohan’s “Sajan re Jhoot Mat Bhole” hit home with me. Mohan’s specialty is the feeling he puts into his songs and that shone through clearly.  Songs in this segment included Yeh Raat Bheegi Bheegi, Sajan Re Jhooth Math Bholo, O Basanti, Sathyam Shivam Sundaram, Khilte hai gul yahan, Pardesiyon se na, Le Jayenge and Tera mujhse Hai Nata.  Anuradha Palakurti’s rendition of Satyam Shivam Sundaram was stellar. The ease with which she delivered this very difficult song was unbelievable. It was a presentation where you could easily transcend the music itself and feel the flow of Bhakti and sense the Lord.  Valentino Almeida’s delivered songs with great joie de vivre making for great entertainment that suited songs like Le Jayenge.

The second half was dedicated to the rest of the Kapoor clan including Shammi Kapoor, Randhir Kapoor and the younger generation.  Raghu Saranathan did a fabulous job rendering many of the Shammi Kapoor numbers.   Yet another wonderful presentation was a medley of Karishma Kapoor songs by Nidhi Tare and Sowmyas Shree.  The surprise package Kiran Mani took to the stage and presented the famous Fevicol number.   The texture of her voice was so beautiful. I am sure we are going to hear a lot from this young lady in the future.

The MCEES for the show Harish Dang, Jharna Madan, Preetesh Shrivastav, Manju Sheth deserve special mention. Each presenter brought their own special touch. Preetesh had the house laughing with his fabulous standup comedy.

In addition to the music, great attention was paid to every little detail in the presentation including the fabulous stills and of course the sound by Jawed Wahid was stellar. The proceeds of the event were given to Saheli and Shishu Bharati.  A special mention needs to be made of the fabulous organizing committee under the leadership of Meera Subramanium who ensured a impeccable presentation.

As I was leaving the hall, I felt glad to have witnessed a sincere presentation where the artists let the art take center stage and a sincere thanks to Dr. Mohan Subramanium who led the way to make this happen.  I look forward to the event again next year.

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