Watching Richa Sharma perform can leave one breathless. Her powerful voice soars effortlessly and even as she twists and jives along, nothing affects it. The only gasps you hear are of delight from the audience. Hers is a voice that can make the clouds part. The singer was in the city to perform at The Hindu 's World of Women concert, presented by Jain Housing.
The evening started with a couple of songs by Prithvi, a former Indian Idol contestant. As he walked onto the stage with his Kailash Kher-esque hair style it wasn't difficult to guess what the first song would be. He did a good job with ‘Teri Deewani' with his mop of curly hair, bouncing up and down, adding appropriate drama.
It was then time for Richa to get on stage. She breezed in with her trademark smile that instantly lit up the hall. People who were slouching in their seats suddenly sat up as she began with a prayer and moved on to an energetic “Dama dum mast kalandar.” Right from the first song she ensured audience involvement. “You're so much in rhythm, wonderful audience. Chalo Mumbai, sab ki waat laga denge ,” she said as they sang along. “Chennai is special to me as I got one of the best songs of my life from A.R. Rahman. The song being “Ni main samajh gayi” from ‘Taal',” she said and added , “That was the first time I recorded through the night from 12.30 a.m. to 6.30 a.m.”
The next number was the mellow and melancholic ‘Zindagi main kabhi koi aaye na rabba'. Two young girls next to me were sniffling — a lover's tiff or break up, perhaps? But then Richa's repertoire wouldn't let one wallow in sorrow or self pity for long.
Getting comfortable, she kicked off her stilettos and walked down the stage, pulling out people from the audience. She made them shout ‘Aho Aho' into the microphone and do the Bhangra. This was a preparatory session before she began crooning high energy numbers such as “Kali teri choti” and “Mahi Ve.” The high-pitched singer doesn't like her audience getting too comfortable in their seats. So she invited a few women on stage to shake a leg with her.
Not many shows are complete without a few golden oldies. This show had Richa performing a medley comprising songs by Geeta Dutt, Asha Bhonsle, Lata Mangeshkar, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Usha Uthup, Alka Yagnik, Sunidhi Chauhan, Shreya Ghoshal and herself. “Babuji Dheere Chalna,” “Dum Maro Dum,” “Dilbar dil se pyaare,” “Darling,” each symbolising a singing diva from every decade.
“The passages are for dancing. So dance with me,” she said. The aisles were full. By now requests were pouring in for ‘Billo Rani' and ‘Sajda'. The elderly gentleman seated a few seats away from me, who was animatedly clapping till then started singing along. And to which song! “Zor Ka Jhatka.”
Two hours into the show Richa didn't cease to entertain nor did she tire out. She is a singer, mimic artiste and stand-up comedienne all rolled into one and the full house at The Music Academy was in no hurry to leave either.
In a way Richa was like the Pied Pier with the audience dancing to her tunes. The dhol got into action as Richa sang a ‘Punjabi tadka' version of ‘Kolaveri di'. As the show was drawing to a close, more requests came up for ‘Aaj jaane ki zid na karo', ‘Thare Rahiyo', ‘Lambi Judai'… and the generous singer fulfilled them all with ‘Kesariya Baalam' as a bonus track. She finally signed off with ‘Sajda'.
By the end of the show it was a festive atmosphere in the auditorium and for those who missed out on playing Holi, this colourful show more than made up for it.
