MELA 2002
The Ultimate Experience

Mela 2002, UK's biggest mela began on Friday at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham. The mega show is brought to you by Zee TV, and for the first time collaborates with Carlton TV, and its main sponsor is Ford. Offering 100s of stalls to browse through, from Asian Health and Beauty to Bollywood DVD and CD stalls and from the finest Indian Cuisine to Virtual Simulators, there is something in it for everyone.

The event, jam packed with performances from UK's leading Bhangra groups and dance troupes, was undoubtedly overshadowed by the presence of one of Bollywood's biggest superstars. Anil Kapoor arrived a little later than scheduled but once he stepped into the public eye screaming fans fought for his attention. He waved and smiled as he walked over to cut the ribbon. I rushed in to ask him what he had in store for the fans, to which the dhol players blasted away and he smiled "all this!" He continued to say, "I'm here after a few years, and its good to be back. I share a very special relationship with the Asians living in UK, and they've always been very, very nice to me!" Then began the opening ceremony where he walked around the stalls and will choose the best stall of them all! The actor also signed autographs for the 100s of fans at the Zee Network centre stage.

I caught up with Anil a little later to ask him about his forthcoming film, Rishtey. "I play a street-fighter in the film, its about relationships; relationships between a father and son, a husband and wife (Karisma Kapoor), and a friend, who is a girl (Shilpa Shetty)". When I ask him how it was working with Indra Kumar after so long, he is full of praise for the director, "it was great working with him after Beta, its always good working with him!" Anil then went on stage to perform a medley of hits earlier hits leading up to his present day hits.

Other performers included Pakistani pop sensation Haroon, and UK's own bred XLNC and Apache Indian. British Asian film and television stars Ameet Chana (Bend it Like Beckham), Nina Wadia and Meera Syal (Goodness Gracious Me), and Sunetra Sarker (Brookside) made appearances throughout the day.

Whether its music, fashion, or film, Mela 2002 is packed full of the ultimate Asian experience. Day one has gone but there's the rest of the weekend to go!

 

REPORTED BY RUPA NANDHA