Superstars light up the stage

Bollywood fans are in for a treat over the next five months as the biggest stars of the Indian film industry have confirmed their date with Dubai. And we mean big names: Amitabh, Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor, Preity Zinta – phew, we can still go on if you like.

Jashn 2008, Temptations Reloaded and The Unforgettables are the mega concerts that will have Bollywood junkies lining up to catch a glimpse of their favourite celebs. The season kicks off with next week's Jashn (celebration), as organisers UAE mobiles have scheduled a session with Saif and Kareena.

After two cancelled concerts and months of waiting, the Jashn jinx seems to have lifted as the real-life couple get set to strut their stuff at the mega show on August 21 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. They will be joined on stage by actress Minissha Lamba, along with singer Javed Ali; the award-winning Ganesh Hedge will choreograph the event and put on, what promises to be, a stunning 18-minute performance flanked by 30 dancers.

For those who missed the earlier drama, Saif and Kareena were scheduled to perform on April 12 at the Al Ahli Stadium in Jashn-E-Dubai, but due to circumstances the event was postponed until May 9.

However, tragedy struck again as the redux concert too was called off due to inexplicable reasons.

So while this concert will be enjoyed in the summer's sweltering heat, things will certainly cool down as megastar Shah Rukh Khan returns to our sunny shores with Temptations Reloaded on October 21. Earlier this month, the media had quoted show organisers – the Morani brothers – as saying that King Khan (as he's fondly called) will be joined on stage by Arjun Rampal, Kareena and Katrina Kaif in Dubai. The Moranis are also eyeing Kuwait and Germany for the concert tour.

However, the current feud between Khan and Kaif's boyfriend Salman Khan has supposedly resulted in the actress being dropped from the show.

The final line-up of stars will be confirmed closer to the concert date, along with venue and ticket details.

Those of you who caught the original Temptations concert that came to Dubai in 2004 would have recalled the star-studded event featuring Shah Rukh Khan with Rani Mukherji, Priyanka Chopra, Rampal and Preity Zinta. But these days Zinta seems to be too busy with The Unforgettables.

Her fans will be delighted to see the award-winning actress with the Bachchans on their mega Unforgettables tour when it comes to our city in January 2009. The star-studded show, which is currently touring the United States, has already raked in millions, with news reports suggesting that superstar Amitabh Bachchan and his entourage were paid about $700,000 per performance, while tickets worth over $1 million were sold for their Chicago performance alone.

Dancing queen Madhuri Dixit has also joined the US tour. The final line-up is yet to be announced, but the show itself has seen several changes with Bipasha Basu and Shahid Kapur, all dropping out. Finally, Akshay Kumar, Shilpa Shetty, Riteish Deshmukh, music directors Vishal and Shekhar and choreographer Shaimak Davar were roped in for various legs of the world tour.

For 40-year-old Bollywood fan Mazumdar Sheikh, the chance of catching the senior Bachchan on stage is a dream come true. "I've seen Amitabh's Sholay at least 50 times. The chance to see him in person has a lifelong wish," says the accountant. "And even if the tickets cost a lot, I don't mind."

Jashn 2008. August 21 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Tickets from Dh50 to Dh1,000. Call: 04 367 6699. Temptations Reloaded on October 21. The Unforgettables in January 2009.