How did she do it? “Mataji ke kripa se, bas ho gaya,” she says. In 2010, when Pathak moved her annual Navratri show to Ankleshwar, Gujarat, scores of Mumbai’s Gujaratis returned to their home state, albeit temporarily.įor an artiste who began as a local performer in Mumbai’s suburbs, who became a sudden Indipop star in the late Nineties and early Noughties, who has shied away from Bollywood and still commands devotion that transcends faith and religion, Pathak has no parallel. A Falguni Pathak show is a ticket to a magical place where love is still innocent and hasn’t been tainted by reality - this is her greatest appeal. It is so sweet and she creates a truly romantic atmosphere,” says Rao. “It’s her voice that draws so many people in. Men and women sign up for dance classes a few months in advance the best costumes cost the earth, but it all makes sense when you’re waiting to meet your soulmate. Pathak’s Navratri programme is the biggest event in the Gujarati social calendar, and it’s more than an extravaganza. “I’m telling you, 50 per cent (of the) crowd will come only to see her, not dance,” says Santosh Singh, an event manager. Navratri in Borivali, also known as mini-Gujarat, has, for long, played second fiddle to events in Goregaon and Ghatkopar, two areas in the western suburbs densely populated by the Gujarati community. I charge for myself and my troupe of 40 musicians who are the best in the field for the lights and the best sound system in the country,” says Pathak.
“The media reported that I’ve charged Rs 1.8 crore in 2010, or Rs 2 crore in 2013. She sings with her band, Ta Thaiya, from 8 am to10 pm that’s 22 hours of serenading lakhs of people who come from all over India, and even the US and the UK, to watch her perform. That adds up to a lot of zeroes but everybody is reluctant to talk about the cost of the event, including Pathak.Įvery year, reports emerge in the local papers about how much Pathak earns for nine nights of the festival. “The season tickets for Falguni’s shows are Rs 4,000 and we’re expecting 25,000-30,000 people every night,” says Shekhar Rao, owner, Pushpanjali Gardens. This year, their company, Shreeya Events, seem to be near the pot of gold at the end of a sequinned chunnari. Shetty and his partners have been organising dandiya nights for the past 16 years.