The Bollywood's biggest fundraiser concert I For India started on an exciting note on Sunday evening and the fervor continued throughout the concert. The virtual concert, an initiative by Zoya Akhtar and Karan Johar to raise money for those affected by the coronavirus pandemic, featured several Bollywood and international celebrities such as actors Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Aamir Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Will Smith, Akshay Kumar, Shabana Azmi, Ranveer Singh and rock legend Mick Jagger. The concert, live-streamed by Facebook, started with Zoya Akhtar and Karan Johar briefing about the purpose of the concert and informing the viewers that the money raised through the event will go to Give India's COVID-19 Response Fund, which aims to help the coronavirus frontline workers.
The first celeb to perform was Akshay Kumar, who recited a poem - called Tumse Ho Nahi Paega - about achieving the impossible during the coronavirus pandemic and urged fans to help in whatever way they can to change the lives of those who are affected by the coronavirus.Next were Aamir Khan and his filmmaker wife Kiran Rao, who asked fans to not lose their hope in their fight against COVID-19. The couple sang the tracks Aa Chal Ke Tujhe and Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai during the concert.
Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao singing during the concert.
Anil Kapoor, best-known for playing Mr India, asked everyone to be a superhero by staying home and staying safe during the lockdown in his message during the COVID-19 fundraiser concert.
Musical trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy played the tracks Senorita and Gallan Goodiyan from their respective homes and left everyone mesmerised.
Shabana Azmi focused on how art from all over the world is coming together to do their bit in this fight against COVID-19. The actress added that she hopes for a "new world."
Tiger Shroff, in his message, emphasized that "each one of us has the power to end this" pandemic. He also put on a kaala chasma and sang Roop Tera Mastana and Theher Ja.
Singers such as Shreya Ghoshal, Papon, Sunidhi Chauhan, B Praak, Harshdeep Kaur, Lisa Mishra, Badshah crooned their popular tracks during the COVID-19 fundraiser concert. Musical duo Ajay-Atul and rapper Divine also made the evening magical with their performances.
While Arjun Kapoor urged everyone to donate money, Twinkle Khanna discussed several issues related to COVID-19 and its consequences in her conversation with an expert during the concert. Sidharth Malhotra, who appeared with his pet dog during the concert, urged viewers to not abandon their pets during the coronavirus outbreak.
Sidharth Malhotra with his pet dog.
Ustad Zakir Hussain's segment left the viewers in awe. YouTuber Kusha Kapila also performed a comedy sequence during the COVID-19 fundraiser concert. Vidya Balan delivered a strong message against domestic abuse in a must-watch segment.
Vidya Balan in a still from the concert.
Madhuri Dixit sang a beautiful rendition of Ed Sheeran's Perfect with son Arin playing the piano.
Hollywood actor Jack Black also shared his message during the concert and said: "We got to work together. The whole world has got to work together. Count me in."
Katrina Kaif talked to some experts about India's policies against the COVID-19. Kartik Aaryan, in his segment, asked the viewers to help the daily wage workers of different sectors as they have suffered a lot during the lockdown.
The next celeb in the concert was singer Jay Sean, who sang his track Main Ta Tere Naal Nachna. Tennis player Sania Mirza was all praise for auto driver Sheetal Sharodya, who contributed towards the good cause in her own way. Indian-American singer Raja Kumari dedicated a song to her Indian audience. Dia Mirza, who is also an activist, talked about the current situation of stray animals and urged everyone to take care of nature also. Ayushmann Khurrana mesmerised viewers with an only-guitar rendition of all-time favourite song Paani Da from his film Vicky Donor. He also recited a poem about COVID-19.
Ayushmann in a still from the concert clip.
Sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan and his sons Amaan Ali and Ayaan Ali Bangash stole the spotlight by playing the tunes of Ekla Chalo Re and Raghupati Raghav Raja Ram. Actress Bhumi Pednekar also asked fans to donate money to help others during the ongoing hard time.
Abhishek Bachchan, on a lighter note, discussed how the memes on coronavirus are helping people to release some tension nowadays.
Lyricist Javed Akhtar recited his poem Bhook (Hunger) and asked people to donate so no one has to die because of hunger. Kareena Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan asked viewers to improve relations with loved ones and stay connected with their families during the lockdown. Filmmaker Vishal Bharadwaj and his wife Rekha sang their song O Saathi Re from his 2006 film Omkara.
Actors such as Aditya Roy Kapur, Dulquer Salmaan, comedian Kapil Sharma, as well as, Hollywood actress Kate Bosworth also asked fans to donate any amount of money they can to help the needy. Priyanka Chopra, in her segment, asked the viewers to let the doctors and the frontline workers do their jobs to stop the spread of coronavirus and recalled how her parents, who were doctors, always kept the lives of their patients before theirs. She also talked about the healthcare professionals getting attacked and urged her fans to show "support and compassion."
Priyanka Chopra talking about frontline workers during the concert.
Music composer AR Rahman played one of his original songs from his upcoming film 99 Songs and left us in awe.
South stars Rana Daggubati, Shruti Haasan and many others also encouraged viewers to play their part in this fight against the coronavirus and stay safe.
Singer Joe Jonas and his actress wife Sophie Turner recalled their India visit in their segment and asked viewers to safe by following the lockdown rules. Joe and Sophie visited India for Joe's singer brother Nick and Priyanka Chopra's wedding in 2018. American actress Mindy Kaling also urged the viewers to donate money for good cause.
Cricketer Virat Kohli called the frontline workers "superheroes" while his actress wife Anushka Sharma talked about the new normal we live in. Actor Farhan Akhtar performed the track Tum Ho Toh from his film Rock On! with his band. Filmmaker Farah khan focused on the need for COVID-19 donation. Sitar player Anoushka Shankar, in her segment, delivered a mesmerising performance. Varun Dhawan's segment included his dance performance to the track Mile Sur and several clips of his fans dancing to popular Bollywood songs.
Farhan Akhtar and his band.
Canadian comedian Russell Peters, along with his donation message, joked about coming to India in a different circumstance and said: "If I ever get kicked out of North America, you will see a lot of me there." The next celeb was singer Nick Jonas, who immediately stole the hearts of his Indian viewers by calling the country his "second home." While Nick was singing the track Jealous from one of his solo albums, Priyanka joined him and hugged him. That was adorable, wasn't it? In his segment, Nick also addressed the issues the daily wage workers are facing during the lockdown in India.
Rani Mukerji talked about how the deadly virus is affecting the lives of all of us and told that her daughter Adira calls the coronavirus a "monster." The actress added: "This monster will surely go away." Singer Hariharan's performance was worth the wait. YouTuber Lilly Singh left the viewers in splits in her segment.
After Diljit Dosanjh's performance, veteran lyricist Gulzar as well as rock legend Mick Jagger touched upon the issues faced by poor amid the coronavirus lockdown and urged people to help them by donating money.
Mick Jagger in a still from the concert footage.
"You are not alone," said Aishwarya Rai Bachchan to the viewers and told them to stay positive in this situation. She also talked to an expert about the COVID-19 issues.
The next segment was of Parineeti Chopra, who sang a track from her film Kesari. Hrithik Roshan played the track Tere Jaisa Yaar Kahan on piano and urged people to donate whatever amount they can to help the frontline COVID-19 workers.
Alia Bhatt and her sister Shaheen paid a tribute to the doctors, nurses, policemen and all the frontline workers and performed the track Ikk Kudi along with singer Ankur Tewari.
After Nick and Joe Jonas, the third Jonas brother - Kevin - and his family greeted the Indian viewers and told them that they loved India and its people during their visit in 2018.
Pritam Chakraborty and Arijit Singh's performance was awe-inspiring.
Amitabh Bachchan and filmmaker Mira Nair paid their tributes to two of Bollywood's iconic actors Rishi Kapoor and Irrfan Khan, who died in Mumbai in last month They both were battling cancer. While Amitabh Bachchan talked about how Rishi Kapoor had the walk of his grandfather Prithviraj Kapoor, Mira Nair thanked Irrfan Khan for inspiring a lot of actors with his work.
After the emotional tribute, Priyanka Chopra recited a poem and urged everyone to stay strong in the ongoing difficult situation. While Canadian singer Bryan Adams played and sang his 2019 track Shine A Light, Sonu Nigam performed several of his popular tracks in his studio, including Tanhaai and Kal Ho Na Ho. His segment was followed by Vicky Kaushal's message and Ranveer Singh's performance.
Ranveer Singh in a still from the concert clip.
Hollywood star Will Smith, who has visited India more than once and has also worked in a couple of Bollywood films, said: "India holds a really warm and special part in my heart. It is like a home away from home for me." He then talked about the difficulties the daily wage workers are facing without "income, food and home."
The much-awaited performance of Shah Rukh Khan came at the end of the concert. The actor gave his COVID-19 song called Sab Sahi Ho Jaega a Money Heist twist and what made his performance more special was that it also featured his son AbRam.
The I For India concert brought together prominent personalities across the world together for virtual performances.
