CWG closing to be 'different'

It will be a "spectacular mass song and dance celebration" at Thursday's Commonwealth Games closing ceremony, with a colourful laser show as the highlight, according to the creative team behind the show.

"The closing ceremony will be a spectacular mass song and dance celebration. The closing is all about celebration… it is going to be very youthful, just like a hip hop party," Viraf Sarkari, director Wizcraft International Entertainment, told IANS.

Sarkari revealed that unlike the opening ceremony, which was a melange of elements from 5,000 years of Indian culture and heritage, the closing ceremony will be more contemporary.

"We will be showcasing martial arts, then there will also be a group of 2,010 school children performing in a segment called ‘Tribute to Motherland', followed by a song and dance segment called ‘Music of Universal Love'… All in all the closing ceremony will have 7,000 performers," said Sarkari.

The Rs.40 crore-worth aerostat will be the star attraction at the closing ceremony too. It was successfully used to project animation and graphics during the CWG opener Oct 3. This apart, a special laser show has been planned as well.

Just like the opening ceremony, the closing event will be devoid of any performance by any actors. However, the Bollywood quotient will be added by the presence of singers like Sunidhi Chauhan, Shankar Mahadevan and Kailash Kher, among others.

"These singers will be part of the song and dance segment. But any speculations about a Bollywood actor performing at the event are untrue," clarified Sarkari.

According to Sarkari, a troupe from Glasgow will also put up a performance after the CWG flag is handed over to officials for the next CWG in 2014.

The closing ceremony will be very different from the opening event, he promises.

"The opening ceremony was very formal. But the closing has to be fun… the whole mood will be very different. Those who have won medals will celebrate… and the purpose of the closing ceremony will be pure enjoyment and celebration," said acclaimed ad filmmaker and lyricist Prasoon Joshi, who is part of the three-member committee for the event.

But will the show be better than the opener?
"They can't be compared… they are very, very different," Sarkari concluded.