Mirror

Bathiya and Santhush

To perform for Methodist College - The duo catch up with the Mirror Magazine via email to update fans in Sri Lanka on their goings on
By Tahnee Hopman

Apart from a shared passion for music and similar causes for inspiration, Bathiya and Santhush have a few other things in common.

They were both scouts and first met at a scout camp. They both studied under Mary Anne David. And they both gave up promising careers in the corporate world in favour of pursuing a full time career in music.
With all the fame, success and impressive achievements- a Universal Publishing deal in 2002, the Kazakhstan, China and Serbian Awards, the Sony and Universal Music deals, the Indian Album, the collaboration with Hari Haran this year- the talented duo still find pleasure and inspiration in the simple things.

“Performing in front of a huge audience is like a roller coaster ride for us,” says Bathiya. “The moment we step on that stage adrenaline starts pumping in and we go into a different mode all together. The best part of the experience is when you see a fan in front of you experiencing the music on the same emotional platform as we are. That is the most amazing part of the whole experience of performing.”

Combining this experience with some of their latest hit songs, performances by Ashanthi, Randhir and Umara, some energetic dance performances and an exciting party atmosphere from the word go; Bathiya and Santhush now prepare to channel their talent towards a cause.

Organised by the Methodist College Class of ’90, their upcoming show Bathiya N Santhush in Concert aims to support the cost of a new, state of the art Computer Centre for the school.

Currently based in Australia, the two have not performed in their home country for a while, and look forward to the concert.

“This is our new concert Shaheena – Live,” explains Santhush. After a successful completion of over 100 shows of “Neththra-Live” both in Sri Lanka and abroad we launched this new show after a break of one and a half years this July. The show will feature all the new songs and hits from the last year.”
When looking back on all their achievements spanning the 11 years since their inception, Bathiya and Santhush are happy and content, but continue to strive to reach new heights. They both agree though, that on a personal note their greatest achievement to date is “the ability to make thousands of people smile when listening to (their) music.”

Currently, one of their many areas of focus is to break into the movie music market in India. Says Bathiya, “We also place a lot of emphasis on international performances as the BNS Crew. With extraordinary musicians and performers like Ashanthi, Randhir and Umara performing together with us we are confident that we will be a very strong act to be reckoned with on the live stage.”

Despite their current success though, Bathiya and Santhush like all musicians had their fair share of challenges to be faced when breaking into the industry.

They also had to face rejection. “The biggest challenge we faced,” they say, “was the rejection we had at the start by the traditional circuit and extremists who at that time had a wide spread influence over the common people. Constant attacks on print and visual media were a norm during the early days. But we always believed if you do something true to your heart and with good intentions, success is possible in the long run.”

Their belief proved to be true. While they first had a good response from the young audience, Bathiya and Santhush are happy to see older audiences coming to appreciate their music.

And now comes a chance for every members of the audience- young and old- to experience and appreciate their music at the St. Joseph’s College Auditorium from 7 pm onwards on September 5. The show is co-sponsored by HNB Assurance, while Keells Super is a partner and Colombo.living.com is the E-Media partner. The electronic media sponsors will be Channel 1 MTV, Sirasa TV, Y FM and Shakthi TV, while the print media sponsors are The Daily Mirror and The Sunday Times.

Tickets for the show, priced at Rs. 1000/-, 750/- and 500/- are available at Keells Super Outlets in Wattala, Union Place, Liberty Plaza, Kohuwela, Mount Lavinia and Thalawathugoda, and at Methodist College. Tickets can also be ordered online at www.ticketslk.com.

For further inquiries call 0786386868. A show designed for everyone, Bathiya and Santhush encourage you the audience to support the cause addressed by the concert and to “Come experience Shaheena – Live, its nothing like anything you have seen or heard before!”

 
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