Over 5,000 fans jumped to their feet when Asha Bhosle entered the Trump Taj Mahal stage in Atlantic City, USA. Her entry came nearly 50 minutes after the show The Incredibles started on Sunday, May 20, following rousing performances by Kunal Ganjawala and Kailash Kher, with Sonu Nigam waiting for his turn.

Asha was warmly received throughout the evening, as she belted old and new songs, ranging from films such as Mera Saya to the Himesh Reshammiya hit, Jhalak Dikhlaja. For the latter item, she wore a red cap. But from the audience reaction, they preferred her to sing songs like O Mere Sonare (Teesri Manzil) and Jhumka Girare (Mera Saya) than her version of a song clearly composed for a male singer.

It is amazing to see the respect and adulation Asha gets at every show. But this was not one of her great performances -- perhaps she was battling a bad cold; or perhaps she was upset that her suitcase with her bright saris had been misplaced by the airline (a fact she announced), forcing her to wear a drab sari. At certain times, her singing was beautiful but often in the same song, you could suddenly feel her voice breaking down. Even then, to the adoring fans, the mere sight of the 73-year-old singer belting out some of the most thrilling tunes of R D Burman and O P Nayyar was not a small thing at all.

But in the final reckoning, the night belonged to Kunal Ganjawala. He was performing for the first time before live audiences in American cities, and sang with ease, especially the hit song from Krrish (Dil Na Diya).

He also struck a sentimental chord with the audience when he talked about his younger sister who is going to be married in New Jersey this month.

Kunal had said in an earlier interview that one of his biggest regrets was that composer R D Burman was not around when he began singing for the movies, about six years ago.

Kunal must have got a big kick then at the end of the show. Sonu and Asha had had sent the pulse soaring with singing Burman's sensational hit Aaja Aaja number from Teesri Manzil. Halfway through the song, Sonu invited him to join in, and Kunal joyfully partnered Asha, giving the show a rousing finale.

Though Kailash and Sonu gave the viewers a great time too, the impact was not as electrifying as seeing Kunal.

Kailash said that he not only admires composer A R Rahman but also considers him to be a sort of mystic. So it was no surprise when Kailash opened his segment with the rousing title song of Mangal Pandey and got a terrific ovation.

Sonu recalled warmly, how over seven years ago, Asha --  he described her as a wonder of nature -- had brought him along with her, giving him his first big break with live audiences in America and Canada.

Though he belted one loud number after another, and got the audiences' hearts pounding, he also slowed down, and sang one of his softest numbers, Mere Haath Mein from Fanaa.

Halfway through the song, a man quietly walked up to him, and placed a few bills on his head and walked away. Sonu looked annoyed, and stared at the bills which were now on the floor. Then he continued singing.

People thought it was part of the act, and since the song was also about true love and worldly wealth that could be rejected, the little interlude was fitting. But there were others who thought that the man was actually an intruder, and wondered how he had managed to get past the security.

Though Sonu and Asha sang just two duets -- and that too at the very end of the show -- their performances were mesmerizing. The other duet that they sang, besides Aaja Aaja, was Abhi Naa Jaon Chod Ke, the playful masterpiece composed by Jaidev for the 1960s Dev Anand-Sadhana hit Hum Dono.

The well-executed event was organised by Bharat Jotwani's Poojanka Enterprises, who is presenting A R Rahman in concert at the Nassau Coliseum on June 26.

Photographs: Paresh Gandhi