Bollywood tour to hit Sears Centre

One of the planet's biggest and, in many eyes, most beautiful stars is coming to Hoffman Estates' Sears Centre.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is one of the headliners of the Unforgettable Tour, which rolls into town Sunday.

Though Americans might not be familiar with her work in dozens of Indian films, the Bollywood star offers crossover appeal. She's a former Ms. World and L'Oreal spokesmodel. She's also been featured in American magazines like GQ and Maxim. Her unusual green eyes even caught Oprah Winfrey's attention when the actress appeared on the show in 2005.

Bachchan's father-in-law, who will also appear in the Unforgettable Tour, is no slouch, either. Bollywood fans hail Amitabh Bachchan as a legend, known for his action movie roles. He's reaching the end of a venerable career.

"He wants to make this an unforgettable show," said promoter Monty Sayed of Live Bollywood Shows. "This could be Mr. Bachchan's last show."

Also scheduled to appear is Amitabh's son and Aishwarya's husband, Abhishek Bachchan, and several other Bollywood figures.

Bollywood is the term referred to the Indian film industry, combining Bombay with Hollywood. Unforgettable's performers will sing and dance in a variety-show format. Hoffman Estates is one of 11 tour stops worldwide and the only one in the Chicago area.

"They're trying to give each city something different," Sayed said. "They're changing songs up, going back and forth."

The tour, which kicked off on July 18 in Toronto, aims to merge the best of Western stage production values with traditional Bollywood music and dance. That kind of lighting and sound mixing is unusual for a Bollywood show, Sayed says.

Tickets sales have been brisk, confirms Sears Centre Executive Director Jeff Bowen. Only about 1,000 tickets remain out of the 10,000-seat capacity, and the cheapest seats, at $55 and $75, are already sold out. Face value for remaining tickets are $125, $200 and $300.

Bowen calls the show's production value elaborate, on par with Celine Dion, Cher or Bette Midler.

"There's so much production involved in the costuming and the visual effects," he said.

Bowen also said the Sears Centre is strategically located to attract the suburbs Indian community.

For tickets go to searscentre.com.