A.R. Rahman had the 60,000-strong crowd at the glitzy Common Wealth Games opening ceremony up and dancing here on Sunday with his rendition of the theme song ‘ Jiyo Utho Bado Jeeto (Live, Rise, Ascend, Win),' which had received brickbats when it was first unveiled in August.
The Academy award-winning musician had promised to go beyond Shakira's soccer anthem ‘Waka Waka' with the composition and he delivered a powerful performance, backed by a spectacle of dancers.
Amidst a colourful play of fireworks and 500,000 watts of music, the crowd cheered as the aerostat, which cost a whopping Rs. 40 crore, came alive with vivid imagery.
Dressed casually in a white jacket-and-denims combination, the hit-maker was welcomed by loud cheering as he stepped on to the stage to perform the theme song.
Flanked by dancers in red and white, Rahman also performed his international hit ‘Jai Ho' that won him an Oscar last year.
The theme song, which is based on the motto of the Games, “Come out and play,” was the grand finale to the cultural extravaganza, which was put together by some 7,000 artistes.
Sky lit up
Adding to the special effects were the hundreds of light beams that criss-crossed each other. During the entire song, fire crackers went up in the air illuminating an otherwise dark sky.
The audience included Prince Charles, his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall; Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, President Pratibha Patil and United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
An estimated two billion people around the world watched the ceremony live on television.
The 44-year-old musician had won two coveted Oscar trophies in 2009 for his compositions in the Mumbai based pot-boiler Slumdog Millionaire .
