That’s a Knockout!
An A-list Bollywood director shooting off sexual innuendos, actors rattling off cuss words without a care for the beep and stand-up comics mincing no words to take a dig at their guests — of course it had to hold viewers across the country in rapt attention.
The AIB Knockout modelled on the lines of Comedy Central Roast was possibly the strongest shot in the arm for the country’s comedy circuit with a million hits in just 12 hours of its YouTube release. Heavily edited to befit a free online stream, the video went viral within minutes and while it initially lapped up much praise for its unabashed charm, it was a matter of days before it was embroiled in controversy — so much so that the comedy collective pulled it down in the face of a government inquiry. A particular Bollywood star we hear took much offence too, since his sister was a subject of ridicule — word is that the displeasure of this bhai also went a long way in some unsavoury bits being chopped off the video. It is up now however, if you wish to have an encore.
Arty party Shattering all records made in an auction house in India till date, India’s foremost abstract painter Vasudeo S. Gaitonde’s work fetched a whopping 29.30 cr at the Christie’s auction at the Taj Mahal Palace. With five bidders vehemently trying to get their hands on the work, it broke the previous auction record of '23.70 crore set by the artist at Christie’s inaugural India sale in 2013.
Good ol’ tunes Boney M, Vengaboys, The Wailers Band, Buddy Guy If you still bob to 90s pop and 80s disco or 70s blues, this may have been a good year. Iconic disco group Boney M with Liz Mitchel and ’90s one-hit wonder Vengaboys were in town. Unlike acts of the day that open to packed stadiums and halls, these two made a discreet entry into the premises of a mall. The Wailers originally formed by Bob Marley however, made a big entry at the NH7 Weekender. Buddy Guy, one of the most renowned guitarists of all time too, regaled audiences at the Mahindra Blues Festival.
Make way for the big guns The biggest attractions of the music scene this year were two British songwriters — the hugely popular 24-year-old Ed Sheeran and iconic lead guitarist of Gun n’ Roses, Slash. In keeping with their popularity, the two performed to packed houses. Headbangers had much to cheer for as metal heavyweights Megadeath performed at the Harley Rock Riders fest.
Not such funny business Possibly one of the most anticipated acts of the year and the biggest letdown was a no-show by cult television personality and stand-up comedian Jerry Sienfeld. Despite the organiser OML’s efforts to make it happen, concerns related to car parking resulted in the show being called off. What followed was a twitter outrage, traffic police bashing online, yada yada yada.
Big budget, big ticket For the first time ever, the Indian stage opened up to a Broadway style musical replete with larger-than-life theatrics and production value. A visual and musical treat, Beauty and the Beast paved the red carpet for large, really large-scale acts.
Art for all Asia’s largest slum, Dharavi transformed into a hub for arts and culture at the very successful Dharavi Biennale. The art fest was aimed at initiating a dialogue with regard to health, sanitation, safety and community living through paintings, installations, acts and talks.
Drama at a lit fest The sixth Tata Literature Live! Mumbai LitFest was the confluence for all bibliophiles as usual. But the proceedings were hardly of the sedate sort. The “intolerance debate” was heavily discussed throughout the LitFest, the most talked about incident being when Anupam Kher took to the stage as a speaker for the “against” motion on a debate titled: “Freedom of expression is in imminent danger”. Things under the roof heated up so much that the audience began to boo Anupam loudly, leading his wife Kirron Kher (who was seated in the audience) to come to his rescue. Amidst all this chaos, the debate went for a toss, and left Anil Dharker, the founder and director of the festival, rather upset.
By God’s grace: Much before the intolerance debate raged on, a Christian outfit opposed the staging of the play Agnes of God terming it as anti-Catholic. The opposition didn’t gather much steam eventually and the play was successfully staged in front of a packed auditorium.
For book lovers this has been a good year. Amitav Ghosh’s Flood of Fire, the third and final instalment of his Ibis trilogy hit the stores this year. Fans were more than pleased to find a closure to India’s arguably best author reenvisioning of the nineteenth-century war on drugs.