“Could you say Vanakkam to your Indian fans?” I asked. Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, in the midst of a media frenzy at the Wicked: For Good premiere, paused for a moment and leaned in. “What is it exactly? We don’t want to get it wrong,” Cynthia asked, her curiosity genuine. I explained that Vanakkam is a greeting in Tamil, and both women repeated the word after me, smiling when they nailed the pronunciation.
This exchange turned into one of the most memorable moments of my career. Ariana and Cynthia spoke about the representation Wicked offers to underrepresented communities – “What we (minorities) have is special. We have to be recognised for it,” Cynthia said. Ariana added, “It’s never too late to look outside of ourselves and embrace each other.”
The yellow-carpet for the Wicked: For Good premiere on Nov 13, was laced with fans. Some were queuing from 3am and some from noon, but all were sweating profusely. Media had flown in from other continents, armed with camera crews primed to get the perfect shot. And on the other hand were my colleague and I, with a humble iPhone in hand.
As I was waiting to catch a breath and calm my composure, a woman drowning in accreditation tags came up to me and said, “I’m going to bring Jeff to you, okay?” Try telling that to the glossy-eyed six-year-old version of me that was enamoured by Jurassic Park. He came over and indulged me in a conversation about how overwhelming it is to play a character as legendary as the Wizard of Oz, and to be surrounded by all the love pouring in from fans. “The people I get to meet everyday are so talented,” he said. I pointed at him and said, “Like you!” He smiled.
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22 May 2025 18:55
