Gay Bombay

The 7th GB Annual Talent Show happened on 24th September 2023, at R D National College Auditorium. GB brought the Talent Show back to the stage after a sabbatical of three years. A lot happened in those three years: COVID-19, the lockdown, the stresses of being home bound. Then 2021 came in with its own share of losses and the Delta strain. Then 2022 was the year of recovery, GB started its parties in full swing.

2023 happened to be the year where GB turned 25! We have had 25 years of meets, parties, picnics, Treks, movie nights, friends. Some things though remain the same, friendship, love and GB!

Our first performers were CLAN OF COLOURS!

SHAKTI – The Most Powerful And Fundamental Cosmic Energy Which Embodies Masculinity As Well As Femininity. Clan Of Colours Today Devoted itself To The Supreme Goddess And Represents Her Nine Ferocious Forms

For our second act we had Sameer Shaikh, who trained with the Terence Lewis Dance institute, as well nritya Shakti studio. His performance had multiple dance styles – jazz, contemporary, Bollywood, classical and whacking.

Next was a performer that has graced the GB stage a number of times with his charisma. He is Abhijit Thakur. He is a trained, classical dancer and has been performing for Hema Malini in her dance troupe from the last 15 years. He has been a part of 20 Marathi albums and he also does stage plays .

Next we had Shreeram Subramanian. He is a learner of Carnatic music and is adept at both vocal and instrumental renditions. His performance was a song which revealed that true love always binds two souls even after a huge misunderstanding…This magnetic force between two souls happens to be their “good memories”!

Next we had Varun Satam. He presented a tribute to the queen of dance and expression: Madhuri Dixit Nene.

Next we had the duo of Aarish M and Bharat G Devanpalli who performed a beautiful BharataNatyam recital. The opening piece was Natesh kauthvam: It praises Lord Nataraja. The next piece was the Tillana. It formed the concluding piece of this Bharatanatyam recital.
The Composition is set by the dancers’ acharyas, Sri. Anand Sachchid Anand and Smt. Jayalakshmi Anand

Next we had Naazuk Att Kaur.
She performed a Belly–dance in Bollywood fusion music!

Then we brought on the stage another queen of drag “Sansani” This was Sansani’s first stage performance. Her style of drag is primarily Bollywood and desi.
In this piece, she narrated a story about her first lover and their romance. The song also came as a tribute to the Legendary actress of cinema, Meena Kumari

Next was Chinmay Malhotra. He performed a Ghoomar. He declares: Every time he heard this music, he was unable to restrain himself. Young individuals take part in this rite of passage to signal that they are now putting on adult shoes.

Next was Vicky PATIL who balanced 3 pots on his head and danced on steel glasses and iron nails. He also performed the Ghoomar, a Rajasthani folk dance!

Finally it was Color Positive – Jeena Part 1 – It was a play about magic and love. Directed by the ingenious Savio Mascarenhas, courtesy of the Color Positive Foundation, this theatrical extravaganza promises laughter, enchantment, and rollicking humour.

This concludes our talent show for tonight.

Before we let people go – we called upon the stage the person who said we must have it this year – he single-handedly coordinated and put this stage up for the performers and the audience alike. Anand Makhija. Ameya Phadnis was a terrific help as well.

And finally a tribute to all the members of GayBombay, who have been tirelessly working for a quarter of a century!