If you ask any young Iranian when he or she first heard Andy Madadian's music, what you get for an answer is a pause, followed by an identical, non-specific answer.
Ramin R, a BCom student is no different: "I am not really sure. I was little child," he says, before pitching in an FYI, "He's been performing for 30 years you know." Ramin who has been living in the city for three years, explains that everybody in his country, Iran, knows Andy, you cannot not know him. To make his point clear he adds: "He's like Shah Rukh Khan."
Andranik Madadian, Iranian singer songwriter currently based in the US, started his career in the early 1980s. Known as the 'Prince of Persia' or the 'King of Pop' in Iran, he has to his credit 15 solo albums.
So when the news of Andy's performance scheduled this weekend in Bangalore reached Paria Rouhi, a young student in the city, she could hardly believe it. Interspersing her conversation with several 'I love him's, she explains that the celebrity's fan following back in her homeland cuts across all boundaries: "Everybody loves him in Iran, even my parents listen to him, so there is no age barrier to his music."
Rouhi who has a supply of Andy's music on her laptop has already attended his performance in Dubai about six years ago and says she also has a picture with the star.
Amir Shahraki from Dv eight Network, the event management company that is bringing the Persian singer to country says Andy was chosen because of his varied fan base. "He has been very experimental in his work and has fans all over the world. He is well known in America, Russia, Turkey, Afghanistan, Dubai and all the middle-eastern countries. Though a concert was planned last year, it didn't materialise and we had to put it off for a while, he says.
According to Shahraki there's a huge base for middle-eastern music. "There are 7,000 Iranians in Bangalore, 20,000 Iranians in Pune and about 4,000 Iranians in Mysore," he explains before informing of buses that have been booked from other cities like Mysore and Pune who are just coming to town for the concert.
"There are a lot of Iranian families who are keen on being present
at the concert," adds Shahraki, who is a staunch Andy fan himself. And a few might even drop in from other countries just for the concert.
As for Ramin he's all geared up for the concert. "We are going in a group of about 20 people and all I want to do is shake Andy's hand," says the star struck youngster.
