Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy show in Abu Dhabi

It’s raining Bollywood celebs in the UAE these days.

After music maestro AR Rahman’s Dubai stopover on December 9, next in line to take to the stage, albeit in Abu Dhabi, are the talented trio, Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani, and Loy Mendonsa (or SEL as many know them as).

The award winners will perform at Adnec’s Abu Dhabi Hall for a one-off performance on Friday, December 16.

“Shankar Ehsaan Loy are at the peak of their popularity and undoubtedly, three of the biggest names in Indian music today,” said Christina Anthony, Sales and Marketing Director, ADNEC (Abu Dhabi National Exhibitions Company), which is presenting the show, in a statement.

She added: “Adnec is delighted to be able to bring them together on one stage, for the very first time in Abu Dhabi.

“This will be the night of the year for many of their fans and SEL’s electrifying performance would challenge anybody to stay seated during the show.

“With such a large expatriate community from the sub-continent in Abu Dhabi and the UAE, we know tickets will fly fast so SEL fans have to book early.”

The trio is expected to deliver their trademark fusion of classical Hindustani and Carnatic music blended with western rock. But don’t forget to brush up on your Bollywood as we are quite sure SEL will include their chart-topping hits that could very well leave the audience dancing in the aisles.

For those not in the know, the talented musical trio have composed music for more than 50 films in four languages, including the hit film “My name is Khan,” which had its world premiere in Abu Dhabi last year and for which they received the Best Background Score at the International Indian Film Awards.

The award-winning trio of burst on to the Indian music scene in 1997, after making a name for themselves in the corporate world by composing ad jingles.

Late film director, Mukul Anand, recognised their immense potential and signed them on for his magnum opus, “Dus”.

Although the film never saw light of day, the SEL tag team’s music became a cult phenomenon as popularity for Anand’s last unfinished project grew.

The trio finally tasted their first commercial success with 2001’s “Dil Chahta Hai”, and there has been no looking back since.
Over the last decade, SEL have composed reaped in awards for film soundtracks such as “Kal Ho Na Ho” (2003), “Kyon…! Ho Gaya Na” (2004), “Rock On!!” (2008) and “Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara” (2011).

Their success has been largely attributed to their sound that was previously unheard in Bollywood ­– hip, refreshing compositions that appealed to a younger audience.

When the trip had chatted with Emirates 24|7 earlier, they had also talked about their noble plan to launch their own record label to helping budding artists.

Said Loy at the time: “Yes it’s true. We are contemplating to launch it soon. The idea is still very fluid and needs a level of work. Our focus will be to launch newer artists and nurture younger talent.”

Loy, however, had scoffed at the idea that reality talent hunts on TV were doing that job in India.

He said: “Look, there is a lot of talent and reality within the confines of the shows. Television gets the publicity and the hype because its part of the industry and the producers are there to ensure it happens. But nothing gets beyond the stage.

“It is quite shameful to see the state of the Indian pop industry. We have fantastic talent coming in from Bangladesh and other parts of Asia, but record labels here want nothing to do with a new pop artist. Bollywood is a safer bet and companies are only willing to back such stable cash cows.”

Unlike many Bollywood musical pairing of legends such as Laxmikant-Pyarelal and Jatin-Lalit going separate ways, the chemistry between SEL has what attained them the success.

Said Shankar: “We fight everyday, but it’s only in the premise of the song. No one takes it personally. There’s a crazy method to the madness.”

 “Yet each one of us has his responsibility: Shankar does the vocals, Loy’s works his magic on the keyboard and I strum the guitar,” added Ehsaan. “But that doesn’t mean we don’t have a difference of opinion.”

To catch the trio in action, head to Adnec for what promises to be a scintillating performance.

Ticket prices start from Dh95 for standard seating and go up to Dh1,000 for the diamond package with front-row seats.

Fans can choose their seats on by calling 800 90. Tickets at other outlets will go on sale with shortly.

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