On September 29^th 2018 folks in the New England area were treated with a unique musical program, Taraane Pyaar Ke – Kishore Se Sanu Tak!! – a tribute to Kishore Kumar and Kumar Sanu.  In order to revive the glorious and memorable songs of these two legendary singers, Valentino Almeida and Ajay Koul along with the co-singers, Sowmya Shri, Neha Varma and Reshma Nair, put together a kaleidoscope of some evergreen melodious songs which ranged from a wide range of music composers. The emcee for the event, Ali Rizvi kept the audiences engaged with some shayri and a few funny verses and narratives which added another unique dimension to the songs presented.

The musical evening was brought alive with the opening song ‘Dil Kya Kare’ from the movie Julie beautifully sung by Valentino (Vally) Almeida a well-known and respected singer in the New England area whose voice and singing style, many will agree, completely syncs in with that of Kishore Da. Ajay Koul also performed amazingly with the same romantic touch as that of Kumar Sanu.  His opening song ‘Saanson Ki Zaroorat Hai’ from the movie Aashiqui instantly bought back the 90’s reminiscence in the auditorium. Both Valentino and Ajay were supported by very talented female co-singers. Sowmya Shri, a well-liked singer who typically dives deep into the nuances of classical singing presented herself in a completely different aura by singing some real peepy numbers like ‘Yeh Mera Dil ‘from the movie ‘Don’. Neha Varma who has won several musical accolades won the hearts of the audience with her performance on the song ‘Jaawane Jaaneman’ from the movie Namak Halal. Last but not the least Reshma Nair who has also performed in many shows in the New England Area; captivated the audiences with songs such as ‘Tu Shayar Hai’  from Saajan and ‘Rim Jhim Rim Jhim’ from 1942 a Love Story.  

The songs presented comprised of solos and duets and were performed in 3 segments. The first segment started with some iconic songs.  The duet ‘Tum Aa Gaye Ho Noor Aa Gaaya Hai’  from the movie Aandhi performed by Valentino Almeida and Neha Varma in this segment got the audience spell bound and amidst the thunderous applause it got it took the folks straight into the Taraane Pyaar Ke safar…

The next segment had some awesome evergreen numbers, like “Chura Ke Dil Mera’ by Ajay and Sowmya, ‘Mera Dil Bhi Kitna Paagal Hai’ by Ajay and Neha that the audiences truly enjoyed listening.  Duets such as ‘ Abke Saawan Mein Je Dare’ sung by Valentino and Sowmya and ‘Jeena Kya Aji Pyaar Bina’ by Valentino and Reshma were rare gems and treats for the die-hard fans of Kishore Da! The team had spent numerous hours of practice rehearsing for the final show and it definitely showed in their performance.

The last segment was filled with feet tapping fast numbers such as ‘Yeh Kali Kali Aakhein’ sung by Ajay that really got the audiences in the mood. Songs like ‘Yeh Mera Dil’, ‘Jaawane Jaaneman’, Ladki Badi Anjaanee Hai’ and Pyaar Mein Dil Pe Maar De Goli’ took the program to a completely different level. The program ended on high note with the duet Haaye Re Haaye Tera Ghungta!

Vinod Kapoor of Masala Art, who through their exquisite Indian cuisine has been serving the New England community for nearly forty years, through their restaurants and catering business, treated the guests to some real delicious food.  The buffet dinner was served steaming hot and had a variety of different dishes with several serving staff. Yogen Pathak ensured flawless execution of audio-visuals for all songs. The precious moments and memories were captured by Rasik Mehta by his excellent photographic skills. 

Valentino Almeida and Ajay Koul came on stage just before the end of the program to thank everyone for the help and support they received to make Taraane Pyaar Ke a super success!! Both the organizers thanked the audience profusely for spending time with them and attending the show. Valentino mentioned that the show wouldn’t have been successful with the love and support he received from all audiences. He rightly pointed out that the program could not have been possible without the support of all volunteers (Jignesh Patel, Roopa Patel, Brijesh Gadhiya, Bhavisha Gadhiya Seema Dasgupta, Ashwini Chitnavis, Jay Pandit, Sameer Tikoo, Rekha Palriwala and Sanjay Koul) who ensured smooth execution of the entire event. Last but not the least he thanked Reeta Almeida who was the key personnel and support in the production of Taraane Pyar Ke – Kishore Se Sanu Tak!!

The organizers and artists of the evening Valentino Almeida and Ajay Koul were overall very pleased with the outcome and success of the event. They also recognized that there is so much more that could be done to make such programs even more entertaining and enjoyable and will ensure to implement these in the future.  

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