If you‘ve been looking forward to seeing Farhan Akhtar perform this weekend, then there‘s some surprise news for you.
The show is called off.
One of Hindi film industry’s most bankable stars, actor and singer Farhan Akhtar was due to tour Australia, with shows in Sydney and Melbourne (4 March and 5 March respectively).
Yet he posted on his social media this morning that he will be a no-show.
Organiser Rajinder Joshan claims he just found too, from social media.
Joshan, of Austra Events told Indian Link this morning, “I just found out from social media. I had no idea. I heard nothing from Farhan or his people. There was no notification’
What will happen to ticket holders, we asked.
“I can’t say anything at the moment,” he said. “I’m trying to work it out. But first I need to speak to the Indian side.”
Farhan’s show was eagerly awaited down under, even though the India-Australian community is seeing a chock-a-block calendar of shows from the subcontinent. Coming after a dearth of top-rating entertainment due to COVID, the community is thirsting for quality entertainers on stage, and this most recent cancellation will be a blow.
Sydney of course is home to Farhan Akhtar in many ways – not only because he filmed one of his top movies here (Dil Chahta Hai), but also because he has family living here – his wife Shibani Dandekar is a born-and-bred Sydney girl.
Meanwhile, as the message went out this morning on Indian Link Radio’s Morning Show with Ekta Sharma, the calls have begun to come in. What happened? And how do we get refunds?
It’s a question that will begin to flood community social media.