A Fitting Finale!

Ravindra Zende, Mumbai.

Call it that scintillating climax of a thoroughly enjoyable film, for Day IV at Wassup! Andheri 2013, one of Mumbai’s largest cultural festivals conceptualized by F5 Advertainment and powered by Itz Cash wound up with cheers all round.
The entertainment front led proceedings again, the competition by HumaraMovie.com where 16 film makers had been mentored by directors Anurag Basu and Vikramaditya Motwane reaching its climax. And with the festival audience in the judges’ seat, the final winner Ravi S Alok from Basu’s team was chosen in the closing hours, giving the whole activity a reality show feel.

It was the ultimate day for workshops too, and perhaps to make the most of it, dozens of young adults and parents turned up for events such as Clay Crossing Studio, Master Chef and Supersonic Aero Modelers. At another corner of the buzzing Chitrakoot grounds, National Award winners Niharika Khan and Rajat Kapoor held workshops on styling and drama respectively, holding their listeners to rapt attention. And while Joy Datta gave a bunch of young enthusiasts photography tips, Grey Oak publishers and Book Lovers announced their winners Rahul Biswas, Parimal Datta and Subhasis Ghosal who’ll soon see their names in print! Not to forget, like they have done for the past four days, the merchandising and shopping stalls attracted shoppers across ages; after all there were home décor, designer jewellery, accessories and more up for grabs.

Among all these career-defining moments for many, Sunday walk-ins to the now uber-popular festival got their dose of fun, frolic and laughter as the live stage arena was buzzing through the day. It began with veteran film personality Sudhir Mishra discussing the craft with a maverick from the younger generation, Jaideep Verma. But then, it simply got better and better in terms of excitement, thanks to a Kung-Fu performance, a musical treat by Pankaj Awasti and band as also some rip-roaring stand-up acts from funny men Kunal Rao, Azeem Banatwala and Sahil Shah. The presence of celebrities such Claudia Ciesla, Arjan Bajwa, Pawan Malhotra and Kartik Tiwari added a new flavour to it all.

The final act of what was an exhilarating four days had to be spectacular, and the fireworks were sufficed by Funk Studio, a platform the fest provided to musicians of different genres. The Khan Brothers, who are Raj gayaks of the Mirasi lineage of Jaisalmer delivered a stunning performance which left the audience gaping in wonder before breaking into an applause.

Wassup! Andheri 2013 has truly delivered on its promise of last year, to return in a bigger, better avatar. Celebrating the spirit of Andheri and Mumbai now has a new meaning altogether.

Dynamic local politician Dr. Siddharth Khosa, who was involved hands-on with the organising committee expressed his energy at the end. “What a fitting finale to a roaring event! I got associated with Wassup! Andheri since its inception and am set to do my bit to keep it alive in the future!”

Bollywood choreographer, Caesar of the Bosco-Caesar duo, said, “Today was surely the most power-packed day in terms of audience participation and scale of events. It’s been a whirlwind four days, I’m going to feel a vacuum this coming week!”

CEO and founder of F5 Advertainment Mr Ajay Modgil felt, “I’m happy we were able to pull of a festival much larger on scale and participation than last year. 
 I’m glad my team has given this very special suburb of Andheri its own festival to be proud of! Many thanks to all our talents from various fields and most, to the people who made Wassup! Andheri a success!”