Two of Bollywood’s biggest music composers, Shankar Mahadevan and AR Rahman, are now battling chronic poverty in India. And they’re giving up valuable possessions to do it. The latest Bollywood News from DMN.
Bollywood talks about chronic poverty plaguing India. Sometimes, it does something about it. Enter Bollywood super-composers Shankar Mahadevan and AR Rahman, both of whom donated valuable possessions to alleviate child poverty in India.
The auction happened last week at the Hard Rock Cafe in the Worli province of Mumbai. That’s where dozens of different Bollywood valuables were on display, from a long list of composers and on-screen celebrities. And the list of participants went far beyond Shankar Mahadevan and AR Rahman. Indeed, the cast of Bollywood musical elite included Usha Uthup, A. Sivamani, Euphoria, Parikrama, Raghu Dixit, and Purbayan Chatterjee, among others.
It was a deep roster, with lots of donations. Among the goodies, Shankar Mahadevan donated a harmonium that fetched 100,000 rupees. Rahman stepped forward with a valuable microphone, which fetched 80,000 Indian rupees. A. Shivamani donated some timbali drums, which also resulted in an 80,000 bid.
There’s more. Pop singer Usha Uthup donated a number of different high-priced items. “I am so so happy to donate a little something of myself,” the singer relayed. “It’s a great feeling of pride for me to give away one of my favorite Kanjeevaram sari, and one of my first vocal microphones. And all for Hard Rock Cafe’s 10th anniversary auction.”
“It indeed feels wonderful to spread happiness love through music.”
Other celebrities also jumped in. Super-celebrity Priyanka Chopra donated a bracelet worn in Quantico, while Brett Lee donated a series of autographed scores. Actually, the entire event was a collaboration with Mewsic, a charitable group created by Lee.
It’s the kind of Bollywood news that doesn’t get the most attention. Instead, Bollywood is typically surrounded by drama and frustrations by aspiring actors and composers. Those are genuine concerns, though perhaps they overshadow charitable efforts like this one.
Yes, this is a community that gives back, at least when it can.