Backstage, with Salman Khan
Salman Khan is in a dilemma. The Bollywood star has to choose between a top consisting of a pattern of red and gold squares, one in cyan and gold, and one with blinding mirror-work on darker cloth. It is a difficult decision, especially given that his most ardent fans prefer him bare-chested. He finally settles for armour that can be divested onstage so as to generate maximum hysteria among the crowd attending the Rockstars event at the Nassau Coliseum in Long Island, New York.
Room 14 is small -- too small perhaps for his bodybuilding equipment, constant stream of visitors, show organizers and the gaudy, loud clothing that seems de rigueur at Bollywood shows. The cheap metal latch on the door is bent, as if in testimony to a violence past. On the other side, across the vomitory (that is the actual term used to describe the tubular exit from a stadium) is where John Abraham, the other big star, has hunkered down. He doesn't have a latch outside his door. Standing guard outside are security guards, wearing the darkest suits, all of them easily marked out by translucent twisted wire strung from earpieces, their heft and their surly expressions.
It takes two long corridors to get the stars out onto stage -- one running parallel to the stadium that is lined with the logos of many visiting teams. Then, they have to turn left to reach the messy zone around the stage, laden as it is with lights, props and well-connected hangers-on.
Text: P Rajendran | Photographs: Paresh Gandhi | Design: Uday Kuckian