The Benny Dayal concert on Saturday at the KICC couldn’t have been held at a better venue. From the entrance to the parking lot through the well-lit fountain-lined terraces to the venue proper, the security at the KICC was courteous and well organised. Mani Productions organised what promised to be a great show, and they delivered.
Well-dressed ladies, glitzed and glamorous, accompanied by equally dashing gentlemen made their way into the venue with minimum fuss. These people were out to have a great time, to see and be seen. Looked like the who’s who of Nairobi were in attendance.
The Tsavo ballroom’s layout was immaculate. A centrally located stage with well-distributed seating around it ensured nobody was further than forty odd feet away.
After the sumptuous dinner by Haandi, emcees from the East FM team, the event media partners, announced the start of the show.
And the first announcement was that “Benny likes everyone to dance”, to naturally excited applause. . And then, smoke, lights, and in came Benny opening with Kaise mujhe tum milgaye, kismat pe aye na yakeen.
His rendition of Ayushman Khorana’s Pani da rang was a hit with the audience. After that, the clapping along wouldn’t stop. The band took it up a notch and the famous Benny shuffle got a lot of whooping and hollering.The beautiful Dil se provided adequate proof of the artiste’s mastery of his voice.
After a variety of tunes which had the audience on their feet, he sang his famous Locha eh ulfat from Two States to rapturous applause probably heard in Westlands.
Entertainers par excellence, the band played all their hits Batameez Dil, Ek Main Aur Ek Tu, Shake It Like Shammi and even a birthday shout out for East FM’s Rajesh Dhanda, to the audience’s delight. It was well after midnight before he was allowed to leave for the first time. However he returned for the encore. Everyone who came celebrated him, themselves, and life.
The next Mani Productions event on November 29 will feature the world famous Sunidhi Chauhan.
