Nine nights to rake in the moolah

From London to Lokhandwala, TV stars are the biggest draw at dandiya events.

MUMBAI: Dandiya organisers in the city operate on a simple mantra during Navratri —get celebrities at the venue, and the crowds will follow. No wonder then that starlets and TV actors are the busiest, hopping from one venue to another and raking in neat sums for their presence.

Actors Yukta Mookhey, Pallavi Joshi, Ishita Arun and Rakesh Berry along with singers Ila Arun and Kunal Ganjawala were some of the well-known faces participating in the EsselWorld revelry this year.

Industry watchers estimate that celebrities earn between Rs50,000 and Rs1.5 lakh per appearance. “Until a few years ago, film stars were much in demand at Navratri events,” said event manager Jignesh Bhuta, who arranged for singers Preeti and Pinky to perform at the dandiya event at Raghuleela Megamall in Borivli. “But TV actors and music video artistes seem to have gained ground now.”

So, watch out for the ‘bahus’ and ‘daamaads’ of tellydom at ‘garbas’ in and around the city. What’s more, they will be seen at events across the country and abroad. Actors Mandira Bedi, Vikas Bhalla, Sangita Ghosh, Rajeev Khandelwal and Mona Singh, among others, are expected to sway to dandiya beats not only at Lokhandwala but also in London.
“The demand for celebrity performers is higher in other cities and foreign countries as against Mumbai,” said item girl Shefali Jariwala. “Here we are hired only on weekends.”

Sakshi Tanwar will be in the US and Canada while Hiten Tejwani and wife Gauri Pradhan are expected to be in London. And yes, it is more lucrative to perform abroad, say industry watchers. For instance, Tejwani is reportedly being paid Rs3 lakh per performance, and it is a package deal of Rs10 lakh if Pradhan performs with him.  

Urvashi Dholakia and Sangita Ghosh, the star attractions at events in Mumbai, Surat, and Dubai, reportedly charge Rs10 lakh each for five days. Mona Singh makes nearly half of that for the same duration. Singers are also much in demand during Navratri and popular performers like Falguni Pathak, Sonu Nigam, or Daler Mehndi earn up to Rs10 lakh per concert, according to trade sources.

Bollywood too cashes in on the huge crowds that local dandiyas attract. “The shows are now being used to promote films that are coming up for release,” said event manager Himanshu Jhunjhunwala. The ‘Dandiya Dhoom 2006’ at Rainbow Grounds, Andheri, where music composer Aadesh Shrivastav performs live, recently saw actress Koel Purie along with other cast members of her forthcoming film, Mera Dil Leke Dekho.