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Who Killed Kumar Sanu's Show?

A P Kamath

A week after the Kumar Sanu show was canceled in Houston, the air is filled with bitterness. The singer and his national promoter are not forthcoming in their comments,, but insiders believe that poor sales of the tickets and the local promoter's inability to come up with advance payment led to the cancellation.

But the local promoter, Kaiser Chaudhary, alleges the Indian community and media sabotaged the show.

Other Indians, however, think otherwise.

"The show was booked in an auditorium (at Texas State University) that seats over 3,000 people," says Vijay Pallod, Houston businessman and community organizer. "Even with big Bollywood stars, the organizers would have had difficulty filling the auditorium."

Chaudhary has given contradictory explanations for the cancellation. He told the Indian media that the national organizers asked more money than was negotiated and he was unable to fulfill their demands. He says he would sue the national organizers for the alleged breach of contract.

He also says that when he contacted Sanu and pleaded with him to honor the contract, the singer lashed out at him. "I cannot repeat the words he used against us," Chaudhary says.

Speaking to the Pakistani media, Chaudhary said Indians refused to buy tickets because they wanted to snub Pakistani businesses. He told a radio program that he is "punished for being a Pakistani".

He feels that the community hit back because of the bad blood going back to the recent Aamir Khan show in Houston.

Several Pakistani organizations had asked Pakistanis to stay out because of Aamir Khan's support for India's actions in Kargil, and for acting in the film, Sarfarosh.

Worried over the boycott call, the organizers used Indian radio stations to generate interest in the show. They also successfully appealed to Janmashatmi organizers to announce about the show at the local temple. The event, produced in a hall with more than 2,000 people, was nearly sold out.

Pallod and several other businessmen feel that many organizers are not realistic enough about the prospects of the show.

"Just because something worked last year does not mean it would work this year," Pallod says. "You must know the competition at a given time."

The play Mahatma vs Gandhi did not open in Houston this month partly because a cast member was ill. "But the tickets were not going fast enough," Pallod says. "Last year, the same play was nearly sold out because of Naseeruddin Shah."

EARLIER REPORT:
Boycott Plan Against Aamir Khan Show Fails

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