Dear Vijay Narain, It is so nice of you to have detailed the incidence at oo la la laah! I also appreciate the efforts of every participant who have been involved with great spirit inspite of heavy toll of the shooting schedules. I think it is all done for just one name the Great ARR!!! Every one of the participant, as mentioned by many in the initial stage itself, were just happy to be involved in this just for the name ARR! Long live ARR!!.
Krishnababu ----- Original Message ----- From: Thulasi Ram To: [email protected] Sent: Thursday, September 20, 2007 1:56 AM Subject: Re: [arr] The full signature! ( Or how I almost sang in front of ARR ) superb write-up and very naive. i have to appreciate the fact that u maintained the suspense without saying the band's name in finals. if u had, then it would have reduced the curiosity of viewers like me who eagerly wait and watch each and every episode of oo la la la. it was so sweet of ARR that he wanted to decide on the verdict. i can really imagine that because even the bands in the quarter finals very tight and obviosuly the finalists would have their career best performances. On 9/19/07, VijayNarain <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: Yesterday the shooting for the finals of Ooh La La took place at Chettind Vidyashram auditorium. Our band, Srishti had lost the semis. We were called along with some of the other bands to perform one song together. We chose Vande Mataram. Two days of hard practice and the song was ready. Basically it was a transition from the National song to its unforgettable album version and then to Aazadi ( my idea :D ). The shooting of the finals episode was to start at 7 pm. Three finalists 3 songs each. Going by previous experience, I was quite sure it would start much later, and was prepared for a late night showdown. We were to do our song after the three bands were finished. I started from home at around 10.30. The atmosphere was electric. The first band had finished shooting 2 songs. The third was to start. There he was! Sitting on a sofa on a separate dias. And we were seated hardly 10 feet away from him!! There we sat watching the band perform. I was watching ARR's reactions throughout the performance. Once the third song was done, there was the usual gap when the next band sets up on stage. This was my chance. I asked Selvakumar Sir (who provided us a practice pad and is a close associate of Rahman Sir), if my sister and I could take a snap with him. He agreed and up we went on stage. To my surprise, I was introduced to Rahman Sir as the singer of Srishti and he seemed to remember the band !! Click! Next band onstage. Their second song got over. Another chance. Went onstage with our band's female vocalist, and Selvakumar Sir reintroduced both of us!! This time the conversation with boss was longer. I asked him if he had heard our band. He said "yes"!!! I asked him for an autograph on a piece of paper I'd managed to find. And I requested him to sign his name fully, saying the last two times he had given me an autograph, it was just his initials :P!! Sir smiled and obliged with : Lots of love, Rahman A R R Click!!! It was around 2 am and Sir was getting late for a flight. Shooting went at a faster pace. The three bands were done performing, and Rahman Ji was called onstage to announce results. There were quite a few funny moments, with the shot of him walking up the stage having many retakes. A visibly amused ARR hopped on one leg between takes :P!! ARR spoke a few words about the competition and its positive effects. There was tremendous tension in the air. Then came the anticlimax of the day. ARR said he wasnt going to announce the results as he wasnt ready with them yet, and that he would have to go back home, think and decide!! Then he presented a Yamaha Keyboard to one of the bands, as a special mention, praising them for their performance at a young age. Then he said "bye guys" Only later did we realise it meant he was leaving the sets, and going back home. Disappointment. ARR would not be there to see our performance :( H.Sridhar ji who was at the mixing console, was very particular about pitching and warned us he would decrease levels if the voices went out of scale :P! We went onstage, rehearsed, performed. !! It was 4.30 am. My voice was gone by now, and my throat was sore. Time to leave. Few photographs with the friends we made in the other bands. Many goodbyes. Back home by 6.30. Am I happy?? Yes. 2 photographs and an autograph...And an assurance that ARR will watch our performance on TV. But a slight sense of disappointment lingers. Would've been such an experience singing with the MAN right in front of us! PS: I havent described the performances of the other bands so as not to spoil it for those who are following the show. As for our performance, do catch it on TV. It will be featured in the last episode of Ooh La La La. I will post the photos as soon as i get them
