1. THE TIMES OF INDIA, MUMBAI *
SATURDAY, JUNE 27, 2009 MICHAEL IN MUMBAI 11
When Michael moonwalked in Mumbai
Rewind to November 1, 1996: MJ burst forth from a spaceship. Swung
For diehard fans, he
But all this melted away
when the petite, boneless
from a crane. And used Bal Thackeray’s toilet showman appeared on stage.
The cheapest ticket was Rs
AP 1,500 and the most expensive
Nina Martyris | TNN Rs 15,000, and devotees had
poured in from all over India
could do no wrong
T
he man with the to catch the action. For more
most expensive than an hour the crowd wait-
crotch in the world ed, clapping patiently
visited India only through the opening acts of Mahafreed Irani & concerts where he performs a When he got onto the crane
once, when he came to Mum- Bally Sagoo and Sharon Prab- Mansi Choksi | TNN medley of Jackson songs. and waved to the thousands of
bai for a spectacular concert, hakar. Then, a helicopter cir- Actor, producer and VJ fans under him, I was direct-
S
the likes of which the city had cled overhead, twice, and he didn’t have a bath for Luke Kenny too started out as ly in his line of sight. Of
never seen before and has not shone a beam down, and girls days after she was a solo dancer in 1989 after be- course, all he saw was a sea of
seen since. That was in the began to scream and demand scooped into the arms of ing inspired by Jackson. He faces but I felt like I had made
year 1996, when Mumbai was that their nervous boyfriends the King of Pop, and declared was barely eleven years old my connection,’’ he smiles.
still the undisputed destina- hoist them onto their shoul- that she would preserve the when he first saw the King of As a tribute, Shiamak
tion for Western gigs, when ders. This was Jackson’s HIS- blue jeans and black sleeveless Pop burn up the black-and- Davar’s Institute of Perform-
the 10.00 pm loudspeaker tory tour and the screen top she wore on the ‘best day white screen of his television. ing Arts played only Jackson’s
deadline had not yet been cast flashed images of the Bud- of her life’. She still blushes at “I saw Billie Jean and Beat It music all of Friday It’s not just
.
in iron, when Raj Thackeray dha, Gandhi and Mandela un- how Michael Jackson went in succession. That’s the first diehard fans who are mourn-
was still a Sainik, and a brand til a voice announced ‘Touch- down on his knees at the And- time I was exposed to the phe- ing his death. In many Mum-
of potato chips called Ruffles down’ and a spaceship burst heri Sports Complex as he nomenon called Michael Jack- bai offices, Blood on the dance
was all the rage. The Andheri onto the stage. It was a deus crooned You are not alone, and son and I was completely floor and Black or White played
Sports Complex was plastered Sanjay Hadkar
with empty packets on the
morning after the November A columnist wrote
1 concert. Chips, snorted a that Mumbai’s
young reporter. After any builders loved MJ
other concert it would have
been joints.
because he had
The Michael Jackson visi- captured their unique
tation is remembered as much brand of ethics with
for the sensational way in his song, ‘It don’t
which the pop star blew the
50,000-strong crowd away with matter if it’s Black
his music and dazzling sleight or White’
of bones as for engendering
what is arguably one of Bal
Thackeray’s most famous ex machina moment with a
quotes— “He used my toilet’’— glittering figure emerging in
after the singer called on him a spacesuit and tongues of
at his Bandra residence on his flame exploding all around.
way from the airport. “Michael, Michael,’’ chanted
Mumbai was under the the throng as he flung high-
Shiv Sena-BJP watch in that pitched bon mots of ‘Love ya’
year and the MJ show soon and ‘Sabse Pyara Hindustan’
found itself absurdly en- towards them.
meshed in the local politics Rapidly, he burnt his way
of the city. The saffron ranks through Billy Jean, Thriller,
were neatly riven into two — Black or White and Danger-
the Sena, with Raj Thacker- been allowed at the Sports PHOTO-OP: Michael Jackson ous. During Smooth Crimi- how she was mobbed after she EARTH SONG: Children pay
ay in the lead, was starry Complex while his own plans emerged in a glittering nal, a massive white screen got off stage. tribute and left, MJ in Mumbai
eyed about the concert, hav- for a dandia raas in support spacesuit at the Mumbai pulled down, and a silhouette Thirteen years later, Piya
ing reached an agreement of an AIDS charity had not. concert. Left, with Bal of Jackson moonwalked, Thakkar, now an engineer, is on computers as individuals
that Rs 4 crore of the pro- No one paid him too much at- Thackeray, whom he visited at flipped and strutted on it. still overwhelmed by the expe- paid tribute.
ceeds would go to an em- tention either, except for an his Bandra residence Easily the most riveting mo- rience at the Mumbai concert. Expectedly, the news dom-
ployment co-operative for lo- anonymous caller who threat- ment came in Earth Song, And like many fans, Thakkar inated the social media scene,
cal youth. In the words of The ened to shoot him if he dis- that “with joint police com- when a giant crane lifted refuses to accept that her idol with the death of Charlie’s An-
Economist, MJ could not have rupted the show. missioners and deputy com- Jackson into the air and ro- was guilty of child abuse. “I re- gels star Farrah Fawcett get-
bought himself “a better in- As Nov 1 approached, the missioners busy at the tated above the crowd. With member him as a sensitive per- ting little attention. As soon as
surance policy’’. But the RSS anticipation reached fever ‘thriller’ show, the ‘smooth his body arching out in a taut son who thrived on the adula- the news spread, Facebook sta-
and BJP were very grumpy pitch, with every detail of MJ’s criminals’ may have had a semi-circle, he screamed out tion from his fans and found tuses changed to ‘RIP MJ’ and
that tax exemption of Rs 11 vegetarian regimen (masala day’’. The Times-Mode poll the lyrics to a sea of uplifted happiness in the company of ‘Heal the World’ and Twitter
crore had been bestowed on dosa and orange juice) and interviewed 323 people, three- faces, among them Sunil children, although it was wide- was flooded with praise of the
a thrusting pelvis. Quit crib- luggage (three Russian aircraft fourths of whom promptly Gavaskar, Govinda, Bappi ly misinterpreted,’’ she says. moonwalker. Youtube memo-
bing, Bal Thackeray told the of hardware and flummery declared that they would Lahiri,Prabhudeva, the Another diehard, Pune- rials and MJ impersonations
RSS, if you haven’t protest- like a four-poster bed and lam- rather listen to Lata than Thackerays, chief minister based fan Nikhil Gangawane, got the highest number of hits.
ed ads for bras as being posts) being reported. The me- Michael. A senior columnist Manohar Joshi and moral cop who founded the official Club But social activist Harish
un-Indian, hold your peace dia, which was much more wrote that it was no wonder Pramod Navalkar. MJ and composed the Michael drawn to it. Michael Jackson Iyer, a victim of child abuse,
now. After that caustic put- cynical then than it is today, that Thackeray liked him be- Next day, the newspapers Jackson anthem which bagged showed the world a new di- celebrated ‘Children’s Day’ on
down, the BJP shut up and was caught between being cause he was a ‘Jackson-of- were awash with alliteration. one million downloads, had rection in entertainment Friday. “We can’t forget that
said it had no problem with worshipful and snide. Un- the-soil’ and that Mumbai’s The city’s new name bent it- booked tickets for Jackson’s through his artistry,’’ he says, the King of Pop is also the
the show. savoury child abuse allega- if he’ll say— ‘I am vegetarian builders loved him because self for headlines which comeback concert in London. adding that he spent hours King of Paap. I respect the mu-
Thackeray’s younger tions had already soiled those but can I have two young In- he had so effectively captured grandly announced, ‘Mum- His club of 13,000 fans loyally practising the moonwalk. sic he made. But, he faced very
brother Ramesh also threat- spangled gloves, and as one dian boys for breakfast’.’’ their unique brand of ethics bai Moonwalks With dissed accusations of child mo- Like all devout fans, Kenny little music for the echo of pain
ened to commit suicide be- correspondent wrote, “We Reporters outpunned each with his song, “It don’t mat- Michael’ and ‘Michael Mania lestation. Gangavane dresses too was there at the Mumbai he created in a child’s
cause the Jackson concert had heard someone say ‘I wonder
, other. TOI said ponderously ter if it’s Black or White.’’ Moves Mumbai’. like MJ and holds dedicated concert. “Who didn’t go for it? mind,’’says Iyer.
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