Mathrubhumi Live With The Legends - Deconstructed with Balaji Manoharan MR B Live

by  EVENTFAQS Bureau Entertainment | May 18, 2018 | News

MR B Live Entertainment

Mathrubhumi Live With Legends' concluded on April 20, 2018, at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The event was conceptualized, designed and directed by MR B Live Entertainment. Balaji Manoharan the Director of the show takes us through the entire process of making this event happen.

How was Mathrubhumi Live different from the other events that MR B Live has done before?

As a company, we have produced many large-scale shows over the years. But this time around AKR Events and ARN Systems seeded the idea of creating a new show based on a dance format with a headline artist. We decided to take it up a notch and created a new format, concept, content, design. We also directed and produced the show. To take our show to an international audience and receive an extremely encouraging response was a ‘pinch me’ moment. With Artistes like Prabhu Deva, Shankar Mahadevan and Sivamani our task at hand was simplified. Mathrubhumi Live with the Legends was held at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on April 20, 2018. The success of a tour for a big artiste also relies heavily on coordination and Muhammed Rafiq, AKR Events and Syed Nasser; ARN Systems worked persistently and systematically and handled the entire coordination.

How was the management part handled as it was a huge event with huge names involved?

Having created a new format for Prabhu Deva’s Concert, we had to set out working from scratch and begin with identifying the right teams for different job roles.  Prabhu Deva was performing as a headline artist for the very first time and it was very important for us to showcase his journey in a way that would resonate with his audience. From all the Artistes to a crew of 110 members, we ensured everything went smoothly from rehearsals before the show to arriving at the performing city and working on the Tech Check, Rehearsal and the Show day. 

Was there a specific brief given to you by the client?

As this was a televised show the client was very particular about having content that would cover 3.5hours. We had to ensure that the flow of the show was always hitting a high note as it was very important for their prime time viewing.

Was it a theme-oriented event?

Yes, the show did have a flow. As Prabhu Deva was the Headline Artist for the show we focused on the same and treated the content accordingly. Each act had a story to share where we started with Prabhu Deva’s career as a Dancer and slowly transitioned into an Actor, Producer and a Director today. We also had a special act, which was a tribute to Sri Devi by the female actors. 

Can you elaborate more on the setup done by MR B Live for this event?

The setup was a mammoth challenge as we had the venue only 5 days before the show day. Hence the setup had to be ready for tech check and rehearsals, which left us with just 3 days. To put up a 150 ft wide stage with 900-fixture lighting and a massive 5000 sqft LED wall, the planning and execution had to be spot on. The second challenge was the ruthless hot weather in Sharjah, which caused further delays to the setup. Hence the production schedule was planned during the nights, which went on until 6 am and work resumed post 3 pm again. As props are a very integral part of an act we had to ensure the stage and all entries were planned accordingly as we had running vehicles as props. The idea of a satellite stage which we created for a act by Prabhu Deva as a surprise element for the stand audience to get a closer look of him and his performance. 

Adding more to the description Balaji Manoharan the Director of the show says,  " I’ve worked on and produced several large formats before, and I have always dreamt of creating a new show and directing it myself. Having been given this opportunity, I have invested every ounce of myself in it and to see it come to life, was a dream come true." 

The Crew Details involved in making of the event are as follows :

Artist Booking Agency: Muhammed Rafiq, AKR Events,Nasser Syed, ARN Systems

Visual Content & Jockey: Wolves

Show Running: Headset Productions

Lighting Designer: Becket Joseph Tundatil 

Act Producers: ANC

Sound Engineers: Nitesh Kumar, Riyasdeen Riyan 

Offical Video & Photo: Arun Titan Studio