The British band Coldplay completed a glorious musical journey of 20 years. Based on their life and rise to fame journey, the documentary film ‘Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams’ screened for one night only in the theatres around the world on November 14, before debuting on Amazon Prime Video on Friday the 16th.&nbsp;

Filmmaker Mat Whitecross who has made the docu-film out of footage compiled over the years said of their humble beginnings at University College of London, where Chris Martin, Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland and Will Champion first met.: “I don’t think those four obviously could possibly have imagined what was going to happen to them.”

Of him filming their every jam session and performance, he said, “I was always filming everyone. Gradually I think they just got used to me being around.”

But it wasn’t easy for him to convince the band to take a movie out. He had collected more than 1,000 hours of footage since 1999. Chris Martin gave him the green light eventually but with a warning: “Go off and make whatever film you want to make. You have our blessing. But please don’t expect me to watch it.”

Mat is known for his directorial work on the Oasis documentary ‘Supersonic’.&nbsp;

The British band Coldplay completed a glorious musical journey of 20 years. Based on their life and rise to fame journey, the documentary film ‘Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams’ screened for one night only in the theatres around the world on November 14, before debuting on Amazon Prime Video on Friday the 16th.

The British band Coldplay completed a glorious musical journey of 20 years. Based on their life and rise to fame journey, the documentary film ‘Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams’ screened for one night only in the theatres around the world on November 14, before debuting on Amazon Prime Video on Friday the 16th. Filmmaker Mat Whitecross who has made the docu-film out of footage compiled over the years said of their humble beginnings at University College of London, where Chris Martin, Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland and Will Champion first met.: “I don’t think those four obviously could possibly have imagined what was going to happen to them.” Of him filming their every jam session and performance, he said, “I was always filming everyone. Gradually I think they just got used to me being around.” But it wasn’t easy for him to convince the band to take a movie out. He had collected more than 1,000 hours of footage since 1999. Chris Martin gave him the green light eventually but with a warning: “Go off and make whatever film you want to make. You have our blessing. But please don’t expect me to watch it.” Mat is known for his directorial work on the Oasis documentary ‘Supersonic’.

Celebrating 20 years of Coldplay; documentary film on band to release in theatres for a day

By Francesca Mascarenhas

Look at the stars, look how they shine for you, and everything you do&hellip; when Coldplay released their song &quot;Yellow&quot; back in the year 2000 little did they know that one day they would literally have some of the world&rsquo;s biggest stars shining for something that they strongly believe in. The Global Citizen Festival, an initiative to remove extreme poverty from the world is the annual music festival that originated in New York in 2012. The creative director for the festival is the charismatic Chris Martin, frontliner of the British rock band &quot;Coldplay&quot; whose music we have been grooving too for the last 16 years. Chris&#39;s association with this noble cause seems like the icing on the cake for the global citizens of the world, which simply means that besides fabulous Coldplay concerts we also get great audio-visual treats from some of the world&rsquo;s biggest entertainers, all the while doing some good towards sustainable development which is clearly the need of the hour.

The festival&rsquo;s Indian edition that took place in Mumbai on Saturday the 19th of November had citizens of India buzzing on social media weeks before the event trying to secure their free tickets for participating in the change that the concert strives to create in the next few years. The CEO of The Global Citizens Festival, Hugh Evans, told media that they are able to track and maintain data of all those who continue to remain active to promote Global Citizen goals throughout the year and of course they record a huge spike when it&#39;s nearing a festival date.

&nbsp;

<img id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_editpreview" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/amitabh%20bachchan-20161121120138.JPG" />

&nbsp;

Global Citizen Festival India saw a huge line up of Bollywood stars, top-rated Indian musicians and politicians as well as Maharashtra&rsquo;s Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis take center stage amongst international music sensations like The Vamps, Demi Lovato, Jay-Z and of course Coldplay. India&rsquo;s Prime Minister Narendra Modi who attended the Festival in New York earlier this year was unable to make it to Mumbai, however, he made his presence felt via video conferencing. The day-long music festival drew in crowds filling up the venue to a capacity of over 80,000 people, who were treated to power-packed song and dance performances throughout the day.

&nbsp;

<img id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_editpreview" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/ar%20rahman-20161121115954.JPG" />

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AR Rahman, Farhan Akhtar, Amitabh Bachchan, Ranveer Singh, Shraddha Kapoor, Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Arijit Singh, Katrina Kaif and Sonakshi Sinha were some of the Indian performers, while Shah Rukh Khan, Sachin Tendulkar, Alia Bhatt, Vidya Balan, Sonam Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra, Dia Mirza, Arjun Kapoor, Ayushmann Khurrana, Freida Pinto were amongst the industry&rsquo;s influencers who took to the stage to introduce star performers and support this global cause.

&nbsp;

<img id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_editpreview" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/sonam%20kapoor-20161121120609.JPG" />

&nbsp;

In the audience and needless to say right upfront were familiar faces who had come along with their friends and families to show support and enjoy this eclectic line up. Arjun Rampal and wife Mehr Jesia, Abhishek Kapoor and wife Pragya, Sonali Bendre along with son, Sanjay Kapoor, Ambika Hinduja and husband Raman Macker, Prateik Babbar, Anupam Kher and Varun Dhawan were seen grooving in the crowd. The model fraternity was also in attendance sizzling off the ramp and letting their hair down like they usually do. The event missed Aamir Khan, one of the festival&rsquo;s main supporters whose absence had been forewarned.

<img id="ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_editpreview" src="http://s.wionews.com/photos/ranveer%20singh-20161121120337.JPG" />

&nbsp;

American rapper Jay-Z opened his performance with AR Rahman&rsquo;s famous &quot;Chaiya chaiya&quot; tune that sent the crowd into a loud frenzy and bouncing to the fusion beats. He got the entire audience to hold up their lit cellphones for one of his tracks that made for some great footage that was captured by the camera drone that was seen hovering over the venue throughout the event. However the two-hour long performance by Coldplay that closed the festival was nothing short of unadulterated entertainment that the audience had hoped for. Chris addressed the Indian audience by first apologizing for taking so many years to come to India to perform but countered it by saying that the band had invested the last 16 years to practice for their first-ever India concert. The thousands of pastel coloured paper stars that shot into the air during their performance lent to the dreamy effect for the thousands of people cheering in the audience. And the multi-coloured beach balls were a perfect addition that complemented the visual extravagance projected on stage, which kept floating around thanks to a very enthusiastic crowd.

Happy and content with seeing Coldplay live, the Indian fans had no idea what was going to be the night&rsquo;s highlight until Chris invited AR Rahman to join the band and belt out one of the latter&rsquo;s most loved classics &quot;Vande Mataram&quot;. The meaningful lyrics and melodious tune became even more genuine when Chris joined AR Rahman in singing parts of the chorus which you knew were definitely not lip synced.

This was one event that did not disappoint unless the post event chaos is something to dampen your spirits, but what would you expect with over 80,000 people in one place. Taxi apps had prices flying off the map with little or no availability, which forced many people who could not get to their own or hired wheels to make the long walk home. But somehow walking under the stars, being amongst them and seeing them shine truly made everything yellow. 
 
(WION)

A huge line-up of Bollywood actors, Indian musicians, politicians took center stage among international music sensations

By Francesca Mascarenhas Look at the stars, look how they shine for you, and everything you do… when Coldplay released their song "Yellow" back in the year 2000 little did they know that one day they would literally have some of the world’s biggest stars shining for something that they strongly believe in. The Global Citizen Festival, an initiative to remove extreme poverty from the world is the annual music festival that originated in New York in 2012. The creative director for the festival is the charismatic Chris Martin, frontliner of the British rock band "Coldplay" whose music we have been grooving too for the last 16 years. Chris's association with this noble cause seems like the icing on the cake for the global citizens of the world, which simply means that besides fabulous Coldplay concerts we also get great audio-visual treats from some of the world’s biggest entertainers, all the while doing some good towards sustainable development which is clearly the need of the hour. The festival’s Indian edition that took place in Mumbai on Saturday the 19th of November had citizens of India buzzing on social media weeks before the event trying to secure their free tickets for participating in the change that the concert strives to create in the next few years. The CEO of The Global Citizens Festival, Hugh Evans, told media that they are able to track and maintain data of all those who continue to remain active to promote Global Citizen goals throughout the year and of course they record a huge spike when it's nearing a festival date. Global Citizen Festival India saw a huge line up of Bollywood stars, top-rated Indian musicians and politicians as well as Maharashtra’s Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis take center stage amongst international music sensations like The Vamps, Demi Lovato, Jay-Z and of course Coldplay. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi who attended the Festival in New York earlier this year was unable to make it to Mumbai, however, he made his presence felt via video conferencing. The day-long music festival drew in crowds filling up the venue to a capacity of over 80,000 people, who were treated to power-packed song and dance performances throughout the day. AR Rahman, Farhan Akhtar, Amitabh Bachchan, Ranveer Singh, Shraddha Kapoor, Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Arijit Singh, Katrina Kaif and Sonakshi Sinha were some of the Indian performers, while Shah Rukh Khan, Sachin Tendulkar, Alia Bhatt, Vidya Balan, Sonam Kapoor, Parineeti Chopra, Dia Mirza, Arjun Kapoor, Ayushmann Khurrana, Freida Pinto were amongst the industry’s influencers who took to the stage to introduce star performers and support this global cause. In the audience and needless to say right upfront were familiar faces who had come along with their friends and families to show support and enjoy this eclectic line up. Arjun Rampal and wife Mehr Jesia, Abhishek Kapoor and wife Pragya, Sonali Bendre along with son, Sanjay Kapoor, Ambika Hinduja and husband Raman Macker, Prateik Babbar, Anupam Kher and Varun Dhawan were seen grooving in the crowd. The model fraternity was also in attendance sizzling off the ramp and letting their hair down like they usually do. The event missed Aamir Khan, one of the festival’s main supporters whose absence had been forewarned. American rapper Jay-Z opened his performance with AR Rahman’s famous "Chaiya chaiya" tune that sent the crowd into a loud frenzy and bouncing to the fusion beats. He got the entire audience to hold up their lit cellphones for one of his tracks that made for some great footage that was captured by the camera drone that was seen hovering over the venue throughout the event. However the two-hour long performance by Coldplay that closed the festival was nothing short of unadulterated entertainment that the audience had hoped for. Chris addressed the Indian audience by first apologizing for taking so many years to come to India to perform but countered it by saying that the band had invested the last 16 years to practice for their first-ever India concert. The thousands of pastel coloured paper stars that shot into the air during their performance lent to the dreamy effect for the thousands of people cheering in the audience. And the multi-coloured beach balls were a perfect addition that complemented the visual extravagance projected on stage, which kept floating around thanks to a very enthusiastic crowd. Happy and content with seeing Coldplay live, the Indian fans had no idea what was going to be the night’s highlight until Chris invited AR Rahman to join the band and belt out one of the latter’s most loved classics "Vande Mataram". The meaningful lyrics and melodious tune became even more genuine when Chris joined AR Rahman in singing parts of the chorus which you knew were definitely not lip synced. This was one event that did not disappoint unless the post event chaos is something to dampen your spirits, but what would you expect with over 80,000 people in one place. Taxi apps had prices flying off the map with little or no availability, which forced many people who could not get to their own or hired wheels to make the long walk home. But somehow walking under the stars, being amongst them and seeing them shine truly made everything yellow. (WION)

Inside the Global Citizen Festival: Coldplay and a sky full of stars

Somebody seems to have held the Indian Prime Minister to his promise of &#39;ease of doing business&#39;. &nbsp;As per reports, the much awaited Coldplay concert, now happening in November this year, has been made possible by Narendra Modi&#39;s intervention. What more, belying the earlier rumours about exorbitantly priced tickets, Global Citizen has confirmed that the concert will be free. The fans will need to earn the tickets by pledging their support and working for Global Citizen&#39;s campaign programmes in India. Free tickets for free labour? Global Citizen&#39;s CEO Hugh Evans and Coldplay&#39;s Chris Martin have met Modi in the past year and a half.&nbsp; 
 
Not everyone is as lucky as them.&nbsp; 
 
It is no secret that organising a world-class concert or a gig in any of the Indian cities is nothing short of a nightmare for the organisers and artists. Mumbai, for instance, has earned a nasty reputation for cancelling some high profile gigs in the recent times including the standup comedy act of Seinfeld. Not only are there infrastructural hassles and bureaucratic labyrinths, over-the-top politicking plays a great role in causing fans great disappointment. In 2013 there was a huge furore over Zubin Mehta&#39;s concert in Jammu and Kashmir. The naysayers alleged that it was an exercise in obfuscation of troubled reality of the region on the part of the Indian government. There have been routine protests against the Pakistani artistes, including the ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali whose concerts in Mumbai and Delhi were called off more than once.&nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
Dealing with traffic woes, waterlogging, sanitation issues and lack of basic amenities, none of the Indian cities seems smart enough to deal with performances that draw large crowds. The onus is usually on the organisers to ensure that the event concludes without any untoward incidents. 
 
The lack of state of art venues in most Indian cities makes the task of artists and organisers even more difficult since technical support also needs to be arranged by them.&nbsp; 
 
Requesting to remain anonymous, a Delhi Based event organiser shares that it is far more difficult to obtain permissions for a music gig than a religious congregation. Norms are relaxed for the latter. While loudspeakers can go on well past the permitted time at weddings and religious functions, police are way tougher on law enforcement when it comes to gigs. One set of rules for entertainment-related events and another for religious-spiritual ones. On condition of anonymity, another organiser reveals how black money involved in this line makes it prohibitively expensive for most people to undertake such &#39;a painful journey.&#39; 
 
Sounds a bit unfair? Wait till Vijay Nair, the founder of Mumbai-based entertainment company OML, speaks about the licensing process. &ldquo;Unlike any other industry, the licence is issued on the day of the show. All the investment has been made, the artists are waiting but there&#39;s no show! This system encourages graft because on the day of the show if the licence does not come through organisers may try to obtain it by way of bribes,&rdquo; shares Nair. He adds, &ldquo;What is allowed and what is not is subjective and open to interpretation. If there were clearly defined parameters, like in other countries, the organisers would work within them and avoid last minute surprises.&rdquo; On the upcoming Coldplay show,&nbsp;Nair says, &ldquo;It has become a lot easier to put together a show of this scale because the government has become an organising partner. In the absence of such a partnership, a standalone organiser will always find it a lot more difficult.&rdquo; &nbsp; 
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<h5>Unlike any other industry, the licence is issued on the day of the show. All the investment has been made, the artists are waiting but there&#39;s no show! This system encourages graft because on the day of the show if the licence does not come through organisers may try to obtain it by way of bribes</h5>
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In a terror attack-prone country like India, security is a serious issue. However, organisers rue that it is often used as an alibi to deny permissions. In the case of New Delhi, where the police do not report to the state government, there is an added layer of procedural woes. Responding to the question on delays and extortions in the name of out-of-turn permissions, Madhur Verma , DCP North Delhi District says that it is not possible to grant permission for a cultural event when it clashes with a law and order deployment or a traditional religious ceremony. He adds that it is not just a matter of clearing a file. The police have to ensure safety and deployments need to be made accordingly. A heavily overburdened police force needs to prioritise. On the issue of relaxation for religious events, Verma clarifies that only traditional events and processions are allowed. He also shared how most organisers apply for permissions very close to the date when ideally they should do it one month in advance in the case of ticketed events.&nbsp; 
 
Mumbai-based stand up comic and writer Varun Grover says that bureaucratic hassles in organising live performances put the artists under duress. &ldquo;A performer should be worrying only about polishing his act and not whether the gig will come through at all. You don&#39;t want to bother yourself about such things. In the event of delays and cancellations there are financial consequences too,&rdquo; states Grover. Talking of comic performances he flags another problem which is specific to Mumbai: the censorship law. For any theatre performance, the script needs to be submitted for approval. &ldquo;Even though stand-up comedy is not theatre, we need to submit and stick to the script and we can be prosecuted should we deviate!&rdquo; &nbsp;&nbsp; 
 
While it is admirable that the government has shown interest in cultivating pop culture through active participation, how many events can the government co-host? Or should it co-host at all? In addition to the intangible gains, encouraging cultural festivals and performances of all hues and colours makes good business sense. Investing in infrastructure and streamlining the processes shall go a longer way in reaping the recurring benefits. &nbsp; 
&nbsp; 
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Infrastructural hassles and over-the-top politicking sum up the painstaking journey of concert organisers in Indian cities

Somebody seems to have held the Indian Prime Minister to his promise of 'ease of doing business'. As per reports, the much awaited Coldplay concert, now happening in November this year, has been made possible by Narendra Modi's intervention. What more, belying the earlier rumours about exorbitantly priced tickets, Global Citizen has confirmed that the concert will be free. The fans will need to earn the tickets by pledging their support and working for Global Citizen's campaign programmes in India. Free tickets for free labour? Global Citizen's CEO Hugh Evans and Coldplay's Chris Martin have met Modi in the past year and a half. Not everyone is as lucky as them. It is no secret that organising a world-class concert or a gig in any of the Indian cities is nothing short of a nightmare for the organisers and artists. Mumbai, for instance, has earned a nasty reputation for cancelling some high profile gigs in the recent times including the standup comedy act of Seinfeld. Not only are there infrastructural hassles and bureaucratic labyrinths, over-the-top politicking plays a great role in causing fans great disappointment. In 2013 there was a huge furore over Zubin Mehta's concert in Jammu and Kashmir. The naysayers alleged that it was an exercise in obfuscation of troubled reality of the region on the part of the Indian government. There have been routine protests against the Pakistani artistes, including the ghazal maestro Ghulam Ali whose concerts in Mumbai and Delhi were called off more than once. Dealing with traffic woes, waterlogging, sanitation issues and lack of basic amenities, none of the Indian cities seems smart enough to deal with performances that draw large crowds. The onus is usually on the organisers to ensure that the event concludes without any untoward incidents. The lack of state of art venues in most Indian cities makes the task of artists and organisers even more difficult since technical support also needs to be arranged by them. Requesting to remain anonymous, a Delhi Based event organiser shares that it is far more difficult to obtain permissions for a music gig than a religious congregation. Norms are relaxed for the latter. While loudspeakers can go on well past the permitted time at weddings and religious functions, police are way tougher on law enforcement when it comes to gigs. One set of rules for entertainment-related events and another for religious-spiritual ones. On condition of anonymity, another organiser reveals how black money involved in this line makes it prohibitively expensive for most people to undertake such 'a painful journey.' Sounds a bit unfair? Wait till Vijay Nair, the founder of Mumbai-based entertainment company OML, speaks about the licensing process. “Unlike any other industry, the licence is issued on the day of the show. All the investment has been made, the artists are waiting but there's no show! This system encourages graft because on the day of the show if the licence does not come through organisers may try to obtain it by way of bribes,” shares Nair. He adds, “What is allowed and what is not is subjective and open to interpretation. If there were clearly defined parameters, like in other countries, the organisers would work within them and avoid last minute surprises.” On the upcoming Coldplay show, Nair says, “It has become a lot easier to put together a show of this scale because the government has become an organising partner. In the absence of such a partnership, a standalone organiser will always find it a lot more difficult.” Unlike any other industry, the licence is issued on the day of the show. All the investment has been made, the artists are waiting but there's no show! This system encourages graft because on the day of the show if the licence does not come through organisers may try to obtain it by way of bribes In a terror attack-prone country like India, security is a serious issue. However, organisers rue that it is often used as an alibi to deny permissions. In the case of New Delhi, where the police do not report to the state government, there is an added layer of procedural woes. Responding to the question on delays and extortions in the name of out-of-turn permissions, Madhur Verma , DCP North Delhi District says that it is not possible to grant permission for a cultural event when it clashes with a law and order deployment or a traditional religious ceremony. He adds that it is not just a matter of clearing a file. The police have to ensure safety and deployments need to be made accordingly. A heavily overburdened police force needs to prioritise. On the issue of relaxation for religious events, Verma clarifies that only traditional events and processions are allowed. He also shared how most organisers apply for permissions very close to the date when ideally they should do it one month in advance in the case of ticketed events. Mumbai-based stand up comic and writer Varun Grover says that bureaucratic hassles in organising live performances put the artists under duress. “A performer should be worrying only about polishing his act and not whether the gig will come through at all. You don't want to bother yourself about such things. In the event of delays and cancellations there are financial consequences too,” states Grover. Talking of comic performances he flags another problem which is specific to Mumbai: the censorship law. For any theatre performance, the script needs to be submitted for approval. “Even though stand-up comedy is not theatre, we need to submit and stick to the script and we can be prosecuted should we deviate!” While it is admirable that the government has shown interest in cultivating pop culture through active participation, how many events can the government co-host? Or should it co-host at all? In addition to the intangible gains, encouraging cultural festivals and performances of all hues and colours makes good business sense. Investing in infrastructure and streamlining the processes shall go a longer way in reaping the recurring benefits.

The Coldplay concert takeaway: India invests in pop culture