Coldplay Jams With Rahman And Ends With Channa Mereya

India can’t get enough of ‘Coldplay’ and after waiting all day, we wish this would never end. 

The Quint
Entertainment
Updated:
Finally, <i>Coldplay</i> meets India. (Photo courtesy: Twitter/@Coldplay)
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Finally, Coldplay meets India. (Photo courtesy: Twitter/@Coldplay)
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It was an epic day and we expected nothing less of Coldplay’s first performance in India. Mind is blown. Here are all the highlights from a day Mumbai will never forget-

When India Met Coldplay:

- Chris Martin’s opening words were in Hindi and he’s got 85,000 people swaying to Coldplay’s best.

- PM Modi cracked a joke about his own singing, the note ban and pledged to make India ‘swachh’ in every way.

- Jay Z’s electrifying performance was epic and so was his Chaiyyan Chaiyyan with SRK.

- AR Rahman made Mumbai happy with Tu Hi Re and other gems.

- Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis pledged to make the state free of open defecation by March 2018

- Amitabh Bachchan, Sachin Tendulkar, Shah Rukh Khan, Farhan Akhtar, Freida Pinto, Sonakshi Sinha, Shraddha Kapoor and other Bollywood celebs kept us entertained as we waited for the headlining band.

The audience was swept off their feet when A R Rahman joined Coldplay on stage to jam together for nothing less than Vande Mataram.

And that’s not all. He followed it up with the superhit Channa Mereya from Karan Johar’s ADHM!

Finally! India Meets Coldplay

Did Chris Martin just speak in Hindi? Yup, that’s right, and what he said was adorable too.

<i>Namaste Mumbai, yeh humaari khush quismati hai ki hum itne sundar desh mein aaye hain. </i>(Namaste Mumbai, it’s our good fortune that we’re performing in such a beautiful country)
Chris Martin

Finally! Coldplay is on stage and the wait has been well worth it. Chris Martin opens with A Head Full Of Dreams and he’s got the 85,000 Mumbaikars swaying.

And here comes our big big favourite, Yellow.

Don’t Make Us Wait More Freida :P

Shah Rukh Khan and Freida Pinto just got boo-ed. Why? Well because Freida wanted to talk about the Global Citizen goals. But forcing the audience to listen when all they want is to groove to Coldplay live. Don’t mind Freida and SRK, but clear the stage guys! Bring on Coldplay.

We’re inching closer to Coldplay, but for now, here are Nina and Malika from Elektrovertz.

Half Australian (Malika) and half English (Nina) they are truly international and love to party!!!

PM Modi Cracks a Joke, Coldplay Up Next

To be honest, the most epic moment of the Global Citizen India Festival so far, was when PM Modi cracked a joke! He joined the event via a video conference call and said that even though he wants to sing (given it’s a concert), he’s sure that people will ask the organisers to return their money if he does, that too in 100 rupee notes!

Good one Modi ji!

The PM spoke about Swachh Bharat, saying that it shares focus with the aims of Global Citizen. He also said that his focus is to clean the country physically, and also clean out tijoris full of black money.

Speaking of jokes, here’s a good one from Mumbai Police. Nothing works like sarcasm and humour, right? Well done Mumbai Police :)

CM Devendra Fadnavis Takes a Pledge Along With Sachin Tendulkar

Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis takes the stage after Jay Z’s killer performance and makes three BIG pledges-

  • Maharashtra will be open defectation free by March 2018
  • Fadnavis pledges to build 10 lakh homes for the homeless in the state by 2019. The CM promised to dedicate a budget of Rs 15,000 crore towards this goal.
  • CM Fadnavis also pledged to fight against corruption and promised the audience a corruption free Maharashtra.

Sachin Tendulkar and Ratan Tata also came on stage to urge everyone in the audience to pledge towards the goals of Global Citizen.

India Loves Jay Z

India loved Jay Z, what an electrifying performance! It’s time for Coldplay to come on. Make some noise people!.

Are you loving Jay Z’s rap to Alicia Keys’ Empire State Of Mind or what!

Jay Z is on stage and he’s dancing to Chaiyyan Chaiyyan with Shah Rukh Khan! This is epic. And now he's rapping and showing off his Bhangra moves to Mundeya Tu Bach Ke Rahin.

SRK Brings The Best On Stage

Shah Rukh Khan promises that you will never forget tonight. The superstar also urges us all to pledge to the efforts of the festival. And guess who SRK brings on the Global Citizen India stage... none other than AR Rahman of course!

SRK even sings the Tamil part of Jiya Jale from Dil Se and he barely makes it, but it’s hilarious. It’s a big compliment when SRK says that he owes his career to the musical genius of AR Rahman.

And this is Rahman’s message to the crowd-

Mr Bachchan Jams With Farhan Akhtar

So what’s happening on the Global Citizen India stage right now? Well, believe it or not, Farhan Akhtar and Amitabh Bachchan are jamming together!

Vidya Balan and Karan Johar and other international dignitaries have been talking about the bigger message behind the star studded event.

Vidya Balan talks about the need for proper sanitation in India. (Photo courtesy: Twitter/@glblctznIN)
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Earlier Today...

Prime Minster Narendra Modi will be addressing the gathering at the Global Citizen India Festival later this evening. He was supposed to attend the event in person but it seems ‘notes ban’ is keeping him busy at work.

Bollywood’s greatest, Amitabh Bachchan is on stage with Shillong Chamber Choir and he’s excited to experience Coldplay live.

Mr Bachchan met Chris Martin backstage soon after his arrival yesterday.

Priyanka Chopra is missing all the action in Mumbai, but sends her love from NYC.

The Best Of Coldplay

So which song do you think Coldplay will open with tonight? Up & Up, Trouble, Yellow, Hymn For The Weekend, or are we in for a surprise?

Performances Galore

Shraddha Kapoor gears up to take the stage at the Global Citizen India Festival. She’s bringing her singer avatar along and we wonder what song she’s going to sing? Probably the latest tracks from Rock On 2 or if we get lucky, maybe something she’s penned herself?

Alia Bhatt welcomes Demi Lovato on stage and this is going to rock like crazy! Can’t wait for Jay Z and Coldplay to come on after this.

Check out one of her latest tracks Confident, we hope she performs on stage tonight too.

Security Tight Hai Boss!

So if you’re at the MMRDA grounds waiting to hear Coldplay live, it might not be a cakewalk and here’s why-

  • Due to security reasons, water bottles are not allowed inside the venue. Worry not, there’s free water available inside.
  • No kind of bags or purses can be carried inside either.
  • No selfie sticks unfortunately, so make sure to take a tall friend along :)
  • Cash transactions will be a problem thanks to the notes ban.
  • You’ll have to purchase a ‘money card’ and swipe that to buy food and beverages. This only means longer queues at the counters.
  • Hey, don’t forget, it’s a concert, so you wouldn’t get seats. If you’re not in the gold or silver zones, you might have to stand till the very end.

But don’t let this discourage you. Follow the rules and you’ll have a gala time. If you didn’t get lucky with tickets, you can watch the LIVE broadcast on VH1 HD 5 PM onwards.

Freida Pinto also arrived in Mumbai this morning. She’ll be on the Global Citizen India Festival stage later in the day. The Hollywood actress is also associated with the goodwill work done by Chris Martin’s charity and has always been a bold voice when it comes to women’s rights and feminist ideas.

Freida Pinto poses with the Global Citizen team. (Photo: Yogen Shah)
Freida Pinto arrives in Mumbai for the Global Citizen India Festival. (Photo: Yogen Shah)

Bollywood Tadka

So who else is going to be there at the Global Citizen India Festival apart from Coldplay? Check out this list-

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was to attend the event in person, but will be addressing the gathering via video conference. We had a bit of a scare about him dropping out. Rumours about the Coldplay cancelling did the round briefly in the morning, but thankfully, the event will go as planned. No performances have been cancelled.

Full story here- PM Modi Won’t Be Jamming With Coldplay, But The Show Will Go On

After Parineeti Chopra, Arjun Kapoor, Arijit Singh, Monali Thakur and Sonakshi Sinha, Shankar Ehsaan and Loy are on stage at the Global Citizen India Festival and they’re singing your favourite melody from Kal Ho Na Ho.

The Stage Is Set and We Can’t Wait!

Waiting for Coldplay to take the Global Citizen Festival stage? There are still a few hours to go before that happens. But the stage is all set. All we have to wait for is the sunset. Doesn’t it look AMAZING?

Check out these stunning pictures of the grand set up. Yes, this is where Coldplay will be live in just a few hours.

The much awaited Global Citizen India Festival is finally here and today is the day when India meets Coldplay on stage for the very first time! While you still need to wait a few hours for the headlining gig, Bollywood has taken the stage and is building things up for the grand Coldplay finale.

The Global Citizen India Festival is being held at Mumbai’s MMRDA grounds and at the moment, Arijit Singh and Monali Thakur are singing their way into our hearts.

Parineeti Chopra and Arjun Kapoor are on stage to kickstart the action.

Stay with us through the day for all the updates LIVE from the packed venue.

Chris Martin, the lead singer of the British band Coldplay arrived in Mumbai on 18 November and his agenda is to meet as many new people and learn as many new things. That’s a great agenda for a working holiday Chris. We love you love India. Check out what Chris has been upto-

Chris Martin Played Cricket With Sachin Tendulkar

Chris Also Hung Out With School Kids

And He Jammed With Bollywood A-Listers Too!

(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)

Published: 19 Nov 2016,02:37 PM IST

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