North America, you are about to get a treat from the world of Hindi film music! The masters of the soundtrack Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy, affectionately known as SEL, may be coming to a city near you. Starting July 17th in New Jersey, the trio are hitting the road and will be live in nine cities in the US and Canada. Not only will you get to hear SEL in what is titled the Inspiration Aman Ki Asha Tour, but they are also bringing along Mahalakshmi Iyer (‘Sadka Kiya’-I Hate Luv Storys), Shafqat Amanat Ali (‘Tere Naina’-My Name is Khan, ‘Bin Tere’-I Hate Luv Storys), Richa Sharma (‘Sajda’-My Name is Khan), Anusha Mani (‘Lazy Lamhe’-Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic) and Raman Mahadevan (‘Sinbad the Sailor’-Rock On!!) for your listening and need I say, dancing pleasure! Ehsaan took time out of rehearsals to speak with BollySpice about the tour and what fans can expect from what will be a memorable night of jams.
It seems SEL have wanted to come to perform for fans in the US for a long time. Ehsaan says, “We have never performed in the USA before and this has been long over due. We have a huge fan base in the USA and we want to perform for them.” Rehearsals have been in full swing and he is really happy with how it is all coming together. “Rehearsals are on and the band is sounding great!!! We have been playing the songs for a while now so that band is sounding really tight.”
So, what can fans expect to hear? “Well, a lot of our hits all the way from Mission Kashmir to Housefull!!!” With such a huge catalog of songs, we wondered how they choose which songs to play live? “It’s a very tough decision because there are so many songs. But after careful choosing I think we have a good set, which all audiences will like. :)”
Though all are favorites, out of the set they have chosen for the concert Ehsaan really likes to jam Dil Chahta Hai and of course the ultimate concert music, Rock On!!, “There are many favorites like Dil Chahta Hai, Rock On!!, etc., but the every song has to be performed with the same gusto because one can’t favour any one song.”
When we talked to Mahalakshmi about the tour, she also was very excited and says it is going to be a fabulous show. “There is also a choreographed team of dancers and the lights and sound and you know, the whole, I call it “dhin-chak” show. It’s going to be great fun. I think their repertoire is really, really tailor made for a really rocked-out live show performance.”
So, who is going go make the dancers dance to the sounds of SEL? “It has been done by Gunjan who is very innovative and has had great experience with concerts,” Ehsaan says.
Will we see Ehsaan bust a move? Well, he did not answer that but he did say, “We are very high-energy live. Shankar is a treat to watch, and it’s basically a high energy fun experience and promises to be memorable.”
Performing live must be incredible because you actually get to hear the crowd roar for your music. Ehsaan agreed saying, “It is instant feedback from the audience and it is an ethereal uplifting experience for the performer, almost like a meditation. When that crowd applauds you know that your hard work has really paid off.”
Besides the concert, SEL has also been hard at work on their next film soundtracks and we will hear their compositions in Akshay Kumar’s next Patiala House, Don 2, Karan Johar’s We are Family, Dekh Circus and Zoya Akhtar’s next Zindagi Na Milegi Dubaara. Besides that, they have also composed the music for the play Zangoora, the Gypsy Prince for the Kingdom of Dreams. Ehsaan gave us some insight about this intriguing project: “It is a play in a Bollywood format, that is the first of its kind in India. It has been done on a mega scale and has international technicians working on it to make it a world class entertainment experience.”
Finally we asked him to give us five words to describe the concert and he answered enthusiastically in all caps, “SHANKAR EHSAAN LOY ROCK LIVE!!!”
Fans and we here at BollySpice definitely agree, and cannot wait to experience the magic of SEL live. This is the third time Ehsaan has done an interview with us and, as always, he totally rocks! If you can, get those dancing shoes on and go see this concert. It looks to be a wicked night of some of your favorite tunes!
Here is a full schedule of dates and cities:
July
17 — New Jersey
18 — Toronto
23 — Chicago
24 — SFO–Oakland Arena
30 — Washington D.C.
31 — Dallas
August
1st — Los Angeles
6th — Houston
7th — Atlanta
8th — Boston
