MUMBAI: The two-day long first edition of Bollywood Music Project came to a successful conclusion, despite the unavoidable rainfall on the second day and an eleventh hour headliner act replacement on the first. The sophisticated arrangements from the moment one entered the venue, the spacious provisions across stalls, bars and stages, and lastly, but more importantly, the music ensured enough reasons for BMP to consider the edition as a success.

The five aspects that we consider have stood out in the BMP -

1. Ease of entry

This, probably, remains the most under-appreciated element of any music festival. Having a good start is important, and BMP had the area covered. The box-office, thanks to the brilliant planning of the Jio Garden’s (venue) structure, was neatly planned with multiple windows, divided depending on the type of tickets – earlier brought on ticket partner bookmyshow. An estimate twenty young event employees left no stone unturned in ensuring the attendees had a first good impression about the debuting festival. The security checks that followed, and the unpretentious non-confusing pathways leading to the stages made the task easier for the revelers.

2. An ideal associate

Setting up a music festival, curating a line-up and letting fans cherish some unparalleled moments aren’t any presenting or organising company’s only jobs with respect to a music festival. Despite the excessive marketing and advertising, presenting entity Hungama provided a personal touch with fans through schemes and offers that either made the purchase of tickets easier or cheaper or both. Not a unique phenomenon, but I doubt not many music festivals would arrange such efforts for its first edition. But then, that’s the power of Bollywood. Big name attracts bigger names and soon Ola, Bank of Baroda, 9xm channel associated with the project that further shaped the execution easier. Hungama offered three months of free subscription on its app services with each ticket. The existing Hungama app consumers were provided 30 per cent discount on the general ticket rate. Ola offered a chance to win the ticket for free for a lucky few. The Ola customer had to take three rides to be eligible for the free ticket.

The Hungama related activities did not end there. Featuring musicians like Shalmali Kholgade, Divya Kumar, Shefali Alvares, Mohd. Irfan came together with Hungama and created exclusive BMP playlists. The motion sensor platform Just Dance at the Hungama stall between the two stages offered fans another reason to dance at the event.

At the opposite end of the stall, a jam session with various instruments was set-up for the attendees to try their hand at music and create a mini-concert of their own.

3. Sound

Offering the ‘experience’ of a festival does not give a pass to the organisers to compromise on the sound or sonic atmosphere. Two stages, safely apart from each other, possessed sounds that further extended the experience of a music festival. The outdoor venue, surrounded by tall structures, earlier hosted the likes of Skrillex and Slash, and yet again, failed to disappoint a single attending soul.

4. The giant bar at the centre

If you are a regular at the music festival, then trust us, the bar is important. And what’s more important is the accessibility. The organising teams for Bollywood Music Project carry an impressive resume of hosting grand music festivals across the country, and the love for bar at a concert has helped them put the aspect up top in the priority list. The mammoth bar set in the centre of the two stages allowed accessibility to the bar from four sides, and the ever-attentive bartenders offered drinks throughout the 16-long hours period of the event.

5. The versatile line-up

The headlining act usually defines the magnanimity and the pre-event judgment surrounding the show, and although BMP proved its worth with Vishal-Shekhar/Rekha Bhardwaj (day 1) and Arijit Singh (day 2), a couple of interesting slots caught our attention. On Day 1, one act featuring the young musicians comprising Aakansha Sharma, Ami Mishra, Amit Mishra, Asees Kaur, Bhoomi Trivedi, Brijesh Shandilya, Prakriti Kakar, Shahswat Singh, Sukriti Kakar, Yaseer Desai and Yashita Sharma took the attendees by surprise with individual talent that translated seamlessly as a group. Arjun Kanungo, Raagatrippin, Siddhartha Slathia and Darshan Raval one after another (and together) showcased their talent through original compositions and covers and proved their worth as flag-bearers of digital stars.