Brace
for
dazzling
lights
and
laser
projections
shooting
straight-off
from
the
ground
at
the
Salt
Lake
Stadium
for
a
replay
of
the
magical
moments
from
past
Indian
Premier
League
(IPL)
editions
as
a
fresh
chapter
of
the
cash-rich
Twenty20
tournament
gets
going
with
a
glitzy
opening
jamboree
that
unites
the
world
of
cricket
with
blockbuster
Bollywood
on
Tuesday.
Setting
the
stage
for
the
eighth
edition
of
the
league
will
be
tinsel
town's
stars
--
Hrithik
Roshan,
Shahid
Kapoor
and
Anushka
Sharma
--
in
what
is
being
pitched
as
the
'India
ka
Tyohar'
(Festival
of
India).
The
two-hour
inaugural
aims
to
charm
the
audience
with
a
festive
feel
and
includes
a
special
segment
dedicated
to
defending
champions
Kolkata
Knight
Riders
(KKR).
It
also
incorporates
more
glimpses
of
cricket
than
the
previous
inaugurals.
Despite
the
absence
of
superstar
Shahrukh
Khan,
a
regular
at
the
inaugurals,
or
any
foreign
artist,
Roshan
Abbas's
Encompass
Events
promises
a
"different" and
"global"
experience
that
will
entertain
all.
The
Kolkata
connect
will
not
be
forgotten.
Around
400
performers
(including
300
locals)
will
be
involved
in
the
stellar
opener
choreographed
by
Remo
D'Souza
and
Santosh
Shetty
that
will
see
eight-to-ten-minute
performances
by
Hrithik,
Shahid
and
Anushka
(cricketer
Virat
Kohli's
beau)
on
a
mash-up
of
popular
Bollywood
dance
tracks.
Incidentally,
this
is
Hrithik's
second
live
show
in
Kolkata
after
a
gap
of
15
years
while
the
city
hosted
its
last
IPL
inaugural
in
2013.
Actor-director
Farhan
Akhtar
will
belt
out
songs
with
his
band
while
actor
Saif
Ali
Khan,
Indian
cricketing
legend
Mansoor
Ali
Khan
Pataudi's
son,
will
host
the
show
and
introduce
the
cricketers
and
stars.
All
eight
team
captains
will
grace
the
occasion
to
take
the
Marylebone
Cricket
Club(MCC)
Spirit
of
Cricket
pledge.
KKR
skipper
Gautam
Gambhir
will
put
the
trophy
back
in
play,
signalling
the
start
of
the
2015
season.
However,
the
"hero" of
the
show
will
be
the
eye-popping
floor
projections.
"The
hero
of
the
show
are
the
floor
projections
through
which
the
evolution
of
IPL
will
be
narrated.
It
will
offer
a
glimpse
into
the
winning
teams,
the
cricketers
and
what
the
league
means
to
people.
The
camaraderie
between
cricketers
of
different
countries
while
playing
together
in
a
single
team
will
be
in
focus," Encompass
vice-president
Chanda
Singh
told.
The
"tight
and
seamless" script
will
incorporate
both
Bollywood
and
cricket
and
will
appeal
to
global
viewers.
"The
content
will
be
in
English
and
will
be
in
sync
with
the
spirit
of
the
IPL
song
'India
Ka
Tyohar'.
The
choreography
would
be
Bollywood
style,"
Chanda
said.
Composer
Pritam
is
in
charge
of
the
music
that
will
start-off
with
a
chorus
of
Rabindra
Sangeet
and
move
on
to
a
mix
of
some
of
his
hits
including
'Badtameez
dil'
and
'Balam
pichkari'.
D'Souza's
song
list
has
chart-toppers
from
Bang
Bang!
and
Dhoom
for
Hrithik;
PK
and
Jab
Tak
Hai
Jaan
for
Anushka
and
R...
Rajkumar
and
Kaminey
for
Shahid.
As
last
minute
preparations
continue
in
full
swing,
Chanda
said
they
are
hoping
rain
doesn't
play
spoilsport.
"We
are
keeping
our
fingers
crossed
since
the
show
will
be
in
open
air
and
will
be
visible
to
global
audiences
because
of
the
presence
of
international
cricketers,"
Chanda
said.