A night before the three-hour telecast of Grease: Live had more than torrential rain to battle, Vanessa Hudgen’s father succumbed to cancer. But the singer and actress decided that her father would have liked for the show to go on and gave what was a performance of a lifetime in his honour. Whether it’s an injury, grieving loss or a heartbreak, many artistes stand true to the mantra that the show must go on and honour their professional commitments above all else. This only makes them more beloved in the eyes of their fans and the industry.
While Vanessa’s solo There Are Worse Things I Could Do as Betty Rizzo echoed with real tragedy, there have been other stars who’ve followed through with their work even as they were racked by personal loss. Although his teammates told him he was more needed at home, Virat Kohli batted for Delhi the day his father died.
Motivated by his mother’s words, Sachin Tendulkar too played for India at the World Cup despite the death of his father. Folk rocker, Raghu Dixit has been a real appreciator of such commitment. Why? Because the musician himself took to the stage to perform to a delirious crowd at his first ever concert the day his father had passed away. It wasn’t too long ago that he wrote a heart-felt note to Tollywood’s hit machine and fellow musician, Devi Sri Prasad who shut out his grief caused by his father’s passing and continued work on the songs for Nannaku Prematho because of an already announced date for an audio launch. Despite losing her husband Rene Angelil and her brother in the same week, Celine Dion is rumoured to take to the Vegas stages after a brief mourning period too. Sheryl Sandberg is another example of someone who went back to work 10 days after her husband had died in a freak accident while they were on a vacation. The list is endless.
“In such situations, you tend to look beyond yourself,” says folk band Swarathma’s vocalist, Vasu Dixit. The musician recollects that he was the last person to enter the mandap for his own wedding as he had a show that he couldn’t cancel. “Sometimes, there are people you’re accountable for. Art has the power to channelise your energy into bringing out your best, but it’s also important to have a good balance between your personal and professional commitments,” says Vasu.
