Bachchanalia struck

At the inauguration of the Pune Festival on Saturday evening, the crowd-shakers were, as expected, the Big B and Dream Girl Hema Malini. ...

At the inauguration of the Pune Festival on Saturday evening, the crowd-shakers were, as expected, the Big B and Dream Girl Hema Malini. In the first half, Bachchan lit the lamp to inaugurate the Ganesh festival. Hema Malini and daughter Esha Deol took over later, performing Bharat Natyam and Odissi respectively.

Esha Deol started the hour-long recital, starting with the wonderfully presented Ganesh Stuti and proved that she is very much in her mother8217;s mould. However, it was with her innocence, besides her talent, that she captured the audience. The 16-year-old dancer was described by the compere as having inherited her father8217;s actor Dharmendra earthiness and her mother8217;s artistic talent. After Esha8217;s scintillating performance, Hema Malini presented Bharat Natyam and Kuchipudi with characteristic grace and style. A practised dancer, Hema Malini8217;s was a pleasing performance.

The only hitch in the otherwise perfectly orchestrated dance programme proved to be the audience itself, which caused a stampede when the Big B left the auditorium, after Esha Deol had presented her second item. As he got up a sea of humanity moved with him, screaming and shouting, trying to get a last glimpse of the star. Some photographers tumbled down from their stands, one of the poles to which the camera lights were attached shook dangerously, and the organisers had to rush to hold on to it.

It was a miserable show of disorganisation, with a complete security failure. The organisers, who were standing, were never able to control the surging crowds during the entire show, and people kept coming right to the front of the podium to gape at the dancers more closely. The organisers themselves created much confusion, milling around the front stage, obstructing the view. However, once Bachchan left, the audience which stayed behind settled down and the dance performance continued. Inspite of the din and disorder, Hema Malini and Esha Deol never lost concentration and gave a successful performance.