Globetrotting Bachchans - Aiswarya Rai

B-Town’s The Unforgettable Tour is finally on course, amidst buzz about which stars came on board, their skyrocketing fees (and demands) and the mind-boggling logistics involved in what is being described as ‘a mother of all stage shows’.

Wizcraft, the organisers of the show, have finally chalked out the details.

As reported ‘Bachchan and bachcha to go on world tour’, (HiTLIST, November 2, 2006), Wizcraft pulled off a casting coup of sorts by getting Bachchans Sr & Jr together for live shows across the globe.

The Unforgettable Tour now consists of the Bachchans (Amitabh, Abhishek as well as Aishwarya — who has insisted on the Bachchan surname for the tour), Akshay Kumar, Bipasha Basu, Lara Dutta and Riteish Deshmukh.

City hopping

Says Sabbas Joseph of Wizcraft, “The tour was always on course. When it comes to the Bachchans, it is like family for us. Abhishek and Aishwarya announced the tour in Toronto. The first leg of The Unforgettable kicks off from July to August 2008.”

It is learnt that it will first cover 10 US cities, including Chicago and Los Angeles. Then it moves to Vancouver and Toronto in Canada before hitting UK and Europe. The second leg is slated for November-December 2008, and will take them to Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Dubai, Doha and Cairo.

Joseph adds, “The Unforgettable Tour will prove to be a paradigm shift in such concerts. It is just not a song-dance gala that one normally sees at such shows. We are making it both an audio and visual experience aided with technology. It will be a 360-degree turn in entertainment.”

It is learnt that the first tour has received bids from multiple promoters and is almost sold out.

Time off

Incidentally, Bachchan Sr is the brand ambassador for the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards, the brainchild of Wizcraft. The IIFA awards are held annually in different countries to celebrate Indian cinema. The Unforgettable Tour was also unveiled at the IIFA awards in Yorkshire in June.

It is learnt that the Bachchans are taking time off from their shooting schedules next year for the tour. For several years, Wizcraft has been organising stage shows across the world with Bollywood and international stars.

Says Joseph, “In fact, the making of The Unforgettable Tour and the behind the scenes happenings will be as exciting as the show and we will air this at a later stage.

The stars will be city hopping with 10-12 shows at a stretch.” It is also learnt that there is a possibility that there could be a concert in India as part of The Unforgettable series. “May be, why not?” says Joseph.