The Unforgettable Tour (Article)
Madhuri Dixit is expected to appear with the Bachchans during the North American leg of The Unforgettable Tour that kicks off at The Rogers Centre in Toronto on July 18, 2008. "For Madhuri, it'd be the easiest thing in the world for her to join the concerts in the US as she is based there," a source close to the Bachchans told Mid Day. Besides the Bachchans (Amitabh, Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai) other Bollywood talent that will be a part of the entire tour includes Bipasha Basu, Ritesh Deshmukh and the duo of Vishal-Shekhar. Despite pitching the tour as a brain child of Amitabh Bachchan, Wizcraft, which is managing the tour, isn't ready to risk relying on just the Bachchans, Bipasha and Ritesh to pull in the crowds, aware of their limitations as onstage entertainers. It has been forced to reach into its deep pockets and rope in other stars who command a strong following abroad.
Akshay Kumar, who was originally a part of the tour but later opted out when it was postponed from end 2007 to mid 2008 because of date problems, is now sort of back again. He has agreed to perform at certain select venues. Apparently a fatter paycheck had a salutary effect on his visual acumen and allowed him to discover a lot of free dates on his calendar. Other Bollywood stars that have been roped in to spruce up the tour offering at other select places include Kareena's past and present beaus, Shahid Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan. A source from the organizers Wizcraft revealed, “During the first segment Aishwarya and Madhuri will share the stage by performing on their famous song from Devdas – dola re. I am sure they will do a great job and it will be a treat for the fans.”
Giving more details about the tour, he said, The first segment will start in July and go on till August. The troupe will go to Canada, USA and Europe. It will have Amitabh, Aishwarya and Abhishek Bachchan giving live performances but we haven’t decided on which dance numbers they will perform. The second phase will most probably start in November-December. Ritesh Deshmukh and Bipasha Basu have confirmed their participation.” On the other big names in the fray, he revealed, “We are trying for Akshay Kumar who has been churning out one hit after the other. Ranbir Kapoor said no because of personal reasons and while Kareena is ready, Shahid and Saif have not yet been confirmed.” The source also denied that Salman is part of the tour. The concert is being choreographed by Shiamak Davar and composed by Vishal-Shekhar. This will be Amitabh Bachchan’s first world tour in 25 years. Meanwhile SRK has called off his world tour following his hectic schedule.