"It's an amalgamation of Bollywood, Tollywood and British film fraternity."
Celebrating a unique combination of Bollywood and Tollywood, Samkarya UK 2017 took place at London’s Watford Colosseum on 2nd September 2017.
Organised by Bharathi Kommana and her company Maaya Ltd, the exquisite show saw some spectacular performances by Bollywood actress, Adah Sharma, Indian Idol 9 winner Revanth LV, and many other guest acts.
Hosted by presenter Anuj Gurwara, the evening’s fun atmosphere was also enhanced by the special guest appearance of Baahubali actor, Rana Daggubati.
Official Online Partners, DESIblitz, has all the highlights of this fantastic evening.
Adah Sharma’s Breathtaking Dances
The stunning Indian actress, Adah Sharma descended onto the Samkarya UK 2017 stage wearing a royal red-flowery, golden and white Anarkali. Just as well, as she performed to the song ‘Deewani Mastani’ from hit Bollywood film, Bajirao Mastani, with such ease and ‘adaa’.
Her spins towards the end mesmerised audiences, and one was enchanted by the circular movements made by the flying skirt of the Anarkali – creating a Bhansali-esque atmosphere. Of course, this was just one of her majestic dance pieces.
Sharma also performed to Madhuri Dixit‘s landmark song, ‘Kahe Ched Mohe’ from the film, Devdas. Another breathtaking performance by the actress, Adah proved she could handle the intricate dance moves with ease and finesse.
Talking about her dance performances that evening, Adah told DESIblitz:
“I’m very excited to be doing Kathak. The most exciting part for me is getting an Indian art form here in London, where the people from will watch and appreciate it. Seeing people have so much love for an Indian art form makes me very happy.”
The actress who debuted in Bollywood with the horror film 1920, is a rising star. For her performance as a possessed woman, she was nominated for the ‘Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut’ award.
Adah has also played Parineeti Chopra’s sister in Hasee Toh Phasee as well as appearing in several South-Indian films.
Discussing Samkarya, Adah mentioned:
“What I think is really awesome is that it’s an amalgamation of Bollywood, Tollywood and the British film fraternity. It’s nice because we all now speak the language of making good cinema.”
Revanth’s Electrifying Vocals
Headlining Samkarya UK 2017 alongside Adah was none other than the playback singer, Revanth.
His performance at Samkarya was truly a special one, especially as it marked his first trip to the UK. Talking about this experience with DESIblitz, the Indian Idol 9 winner said:
“I’m a Telugu playback singer, but language is not a barrier. My aim is to make my mark in different places. I definitely want to sing Bollywood songs.”
Singing diverse tracks at Samkarya UK 2017, Revanth proved that he is nothing less than a talented vocalist. Some of the modern-day Bollywood songs he sang included, ‘Laal Ishq’, ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’, ‘Channa Mereya’, ‘Janam Janam’, ‘Bulleya’, ‘Afghan Jalebi’, and ‘Gerua’.
But what pulled the audience to the dance floor were some other upbeat Telugu tracks like ‘Top Lesi Poddi’, ‘Barbie Girl’ and ‘Super Machi’. He also crooned the ‘Manohari’ song from Baahubali, which is the singer’s claim-to-fame.
In fact, Revanth was enjoying his performance so much that he came into the audience and started to groove with them.
Summarising his overall Samkarya UK 2017 experience, Revanth expressed:
“Thank you so much to Bharathi (the organiser). She’s worked very hard and is the nightingale of Samkarya. Thank you to all sponsors and supporters including DESIblitz.”
Rana Daggubati ~ Baahubali
As soon as Rana aka Bhallaladev walked on stage, the audience broke out into cheers. They demanded him to speak a dialogue from Baahubali and as soon as he said it, the audience went wild!
Sharing his experience of becoming a grand ambassador, Daggubati stated:
“I just want to associate myself with people who are interested in telling good and better stories. This is going to be one of the most finest studios. We are looking forward to making very new films.”
It is only recently that Baahubali: The Conclusion emerged as a global blockbuster. DESIblitz asked how the international reception has been towards Rana since the success of Baahubali. He told us:
“I’m blessed and indebted to everybody who made that film possible and it’s changed the demographics of Indian cinema. Now Baahubali is a film that will resonate with Indians everywhere.”
Samkarya UK 2017 ~ Non-Stop Entertainment
The evening’s entertainment kicked off with an authentic Indian classical Kuchipudi by Mahati Bhikshu. She performed to ‘Bho Shambho’ – a dance dedicated to Lord Shiva. Truly, a glorious and graceful ‘aarambh’ (beginning) to the evening.
It was also delightful to see the talented playback singer Parnika Manya sing a few hit Telugu songs.
A memorable moment, in particular, was when Parnika sang ‘Boochade Boochade’ from Race Gurram. The upbeat track drew in guests from the audience who also took to the stage and danced along.
Another powerhouse talent was 16-year-old Saloni Boyina. The rising singing sensation won the Milton Keynes’ Upcoming Female Artist award.
Saloni first crooned ‘Samjhawan’ from Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania. Her crystal clear and smooth vocals truly pulled at the audience’s heartstrings.
Even when Saloni sang ‘Janam Janam’ alongside Revanth, we were convinced that this young talent is ideal for playback singing.
The final act concluded on a high with Dhol Beats UK, an energetic dhol ensemble. Even though Ganesh Chaturthi is over, this fantastic performance transcended the crowd to Mumbai.
Vijli and London Digital Movie & TV Studios Launch
Not only was Samkarya enriched with music, dance and entertainment, it was a platform to launch London Digital Movie & TV Studios.
LDM is set to become an international production company providing Concept Development.
The company also hopes to provide advanced production services and state of the art post-production for film and broadcast industries.
Enjoying tonight with @RanaDaggubati pic.twitter.com/ykQEnnk17R
— LDM & TV STUDIOS (@ldmtvstudios) September 2, 2017
Ilyas Kaduji is closely associated with the company. Creative producer of Harry Potter, Ilyas was the chief-guest of Samkarya. He told DESIblitz:
“The idea is to make a studio which is a script-to-screen project where if you’ve got a small budget, you can come and within a reasonable spending amount of money, rather than crazy amounts that Hollywood do, you can make a film of high-standard which can be nationally or internationally released.”
He added:
“We have experts in every field. The idea is to open-up filmmaking with a digital revolution, which now empowers everyone,” therefore creating an equal platform for international filmmaking.
The company will also appeal to South Asian demographics, especially because Rana Daggubati is the grand ambassador.
One of the first international films to release under the studio is Vijli. As such, the first-look poster also launched as part of Samkarya UK 2017.
The movie is based on a true story from Porbandar, Gujarat, and stars Rana Daggubati in the lead role.
Directed by Dhwanil Mehta, shooting will commence from October 2018.
Overall, Samkarya UK 2017 was a wonderful initiative by Bharathi Kommana and her company Maaya Ltd to unite Bollywood, Tollywood and international cinema on one platform.
DESIblitz wishes the team all the best for upcoming projects and ventures.
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