The Hindu : New Delhi News : Shah Rukh show runs into trouble

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Sep 14, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Shah Rukh show runs into trouble

Staff Reporter

FIFTY-FIFTY?: Delhiiites may or may not see the king on stage

NEW DELHI: "Tempted" with the promise of a dream date with Bollywood, the Capital's long cherished desire of catching the "Badshah" live may just remain that, what with the Delhi police refusing to give permission for the much advertised show scheduled to take place outside the Nehru Stadium here this coming Saturday night.

With barely four days to go for "Temptations 2005'', the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) is crying itself hoarse, accusing the police of making a mockery of the "big occasion'' with excuses of law and order problems.

Although conceptualised nearly two months ago, the performance -- Shah Rukh's first live show in Delhi -- ran into trouble early on when the hunt for a suitable venue ended in a long drawn search. Although a number of venues including the Army Polo Ground, the Dilli Haat ground at Pitampura and Nehru Stadium were considered, the organisers eventually decided on Nehru Stadium.

But with Nehru Stadium yet to receive clearance from the Delhi Fire Service, permission for holding the event inside the stadium was denied, following which the organisers applied for the ground outside the stadium. While the fire department and electricity departments gave their approval, the Delhi police came up with a new problem - "law and order".

According to NCPEDP Executive Director, Javed Abidi, the police were shown the complete plan of the show -- down to the seating and parking arrangements. The concern expressed by the police was apparently about the number of people expected.

"They said 35,000 was a huge number for the ground. So we decided to cut it down to 25,000. Although they agreed with us while they were here, they refused permission the next day saying it would cause law and order problems. This is simply bizarre and unhealthy for the city's reputation. In any case, no star wants to come and perform in Delhi thanks to the multiplicity of authority. And then the police make a mockery of a big occasion like this,'' Mr. Abidi said.

Clearly not the first time that Delhi has witnessed a problem with star shows, the struggle for free passes and the red tapism involved in getting a event through have over the years made the city one of the least preferred options.

Often skipped by many international artistes because of the bureaucratic pressures and red tape faced by organisers here, little has been done to remove the hurdles by the agencies involved.

The Bryan Adams show too had run into trouble with the venue being finally shifted in the final days from Nehru Stadium to the Pitampura Dilli Haat ground.

"We are unable to understand why there is a problem. The police insist that there will be nearly 50,000 people because it is a Shah Rukh Khan show. When we are not selling tickets or distributing passes over 25,000, how can more people come in? The only way could be if people are allowed to come in without tickets, which would be impossible unless the police allow them,'' Mr. Abidi argued.

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