How this Elvis Presley impersonator and other Bandra fans keep the spirit of ‘The King of Rock and Roll’ alive in Mumbai

Elvis Presley has been a part of Bandra-based Siddharth Meghani's life for as long as he can remember. He was first introduced to the flamboyant and stylish American singer as a child and today lives and breathes as an Elvis Presley impersonator. He shares, "I was introduced to Elvis by my mother and her sisters who were big Elvis fans. They came from a family that used to sing in different voices and music came very easily to them." It was not only his mother but also his father, who was in the photography profession as a wedding photographer, that led him to discover Elvis. Attending weddings in Mumbai, Meghani was exposed to good music and Presley's was definitely one of them, especially at Catholic weddings in the city.

Every year, the world celebrates Elvis Presley's birthday anniversary on January 8. The ‘King of Rock and Roll' may have lived a short life of just 42 years but the legacy that he has left behind has given the world more than his music even 89 years after his death. He has not only been immortalised by Elvis Presley impersonators like Meghani, who is one among quite a few impersonators that the city has produced over the many decades, but also those who live and perform around the world. This is apart from the fans, who break into a dance as soon as they hear his songs, and make sure to catch a tribute performance anywhere in the city. Something that Meghani experienced just last week when he performed at a mall in Navi Mumbai, as a 20-year-old heard him do a sound check and went on to stay for the concert even after his parents had gone home. Last night, he brought in Elvis Presley's birthday with the owner of Goa's popular haunt Titos, as they were hosting an Elvis Night.

Being Elvis
While he was exposed to Elvis early on, Meghani says it was his mother who used to expose him to more of the singer's work. "I had one aunt who used to fly for Air India at that time. So, she used to bring down cassettes and CDs later for me to listen to. In fact, one of the first Christmas Carol cassettes I had was Elvis on the A side and Perry Como on the B side," shares Meghani.

From there, his love for Elvis only grew because like all Catholic family functions where somebody had to sing or dance, says Meghani, even he was made to sing. The 45-year-old reveals, "I think one of my first songs that I sang of Elvis when I was around 10 years old was ‘It's Now or Never'." And then afterwards, when the Bandra-based photographer who moonlights as an Elvis Presley impersonator and tribute singer, figured out he could move a little bit, he would sing ‘Treat Me Nice'. With such a strong love for the singer, Meghani has now been performing in Mumbai and India for the last 20 years, around the same time that he took over the reins from his father in photography. "I call photography my bread and butter, and performing as Elvis my jam and cheese," he adds.

If you look at Meghani, you will think he is Elvis Presley reincarnated as he nails the look completely with the pompadour hairdo and the sequined attire including the low-neck jacket and pants. When he gets on stage, the Mumbaikar forgets about being himself and simply turns into Elvis. "I still do watch a lot of his performances before I go on stage. I don't know whether I can say I am still to master the mannerisms because you cannot be Elvis, but the crowd says I do embody him on stage and say, 'When we listen to you, we feel like we are at an Elvis performance'," he adds.

Just like Elvis, even Meghani is humourous on stage and interacts with the crowd by talking and mingling with them during the performance. It gets better because most of the people who attend the performance know the songs and sing along and these not only include the older generation who grew up listening to Elvis but also the youth of today who come to the performances. It is a stark difference from about 15 years ago when he thought the crowds will dwindle as the years pass by. So, ask him if he is more of a photographer or Elvis Presley fan today and pat comes his reply. "I am more of an Elvis Presley fan and impersonator today than a photographer because it is far more appreciated than photography," he quickly says.

With such peak fandom, there is no doubt that Meghani has memorabilia of Elvis in different forms. At his photo studio in Bandra's Chimbai, the Mumbaikar has built a small shrine dedicated to the singer. "I have kept all the memorabilia given to me by Elvis fans who think I have the gift and I am Elvis to them. At least in Bandra everybody says ‘you are Elvis for us'. So, they have given me stuff from VIP passes to Graceland. I have got actual letters posted with Elvis's postage stamps," he shares.

Over the years, he has even got sunglasses, LPs and CDs from fans, but the Bandra local, who has been taking to the stage for two decades, also has one that is really special. The most touching one was this series of books and pictures, given by this Bandra local, who was a captain of this ship.

It so happened that during Covid, he was going back on ship, and he told someone in Bandra that he had all this Elvis stuff with him that he wanted to give away to someone who will appreciate it. So, his cousin told him to give it to me and that man before he was going on board gave it to me and said, 'When I come back, we will have a beer together'. However, it took a twist. After he went on board, he got Covid and died.

Now, Meghani has safely kept the memorabilia at his home and not on display in his studio.

What's in a name?
Mumbai boasts of many other fans like Meghani and one other is Bandra-based mother-son duo of Aaron Valladares and Amanda Valladares. Such is their fandom that trickles from the mother to the son as she even named him after Elvis's middle name, Aaron. Beyond that, Aaron says they may not have memorabilia but jokes about how his mother always says, ‘As soon as her time comes to visit the pearly gates, she will skip going to St. Peter and make a beeline for Elvis Presley instead'.

While that is for later, the Mumbaikar had one of her dreams come true a few years ago. He narrates, "A couple of years ago, we had Garry J Foley, an international Elvis Presley impersonator, perform in Mumbai. At the time, my mum was under the weather, but was determined to attend his performance. As soon as the lights hit the stage and the signature ‘See See Rider' started blaring through the speakers, she forgot she was sick and ran for the stage," shares the Bandra resident. When Elvis Presley died suddenly in 1977, the Mumbaikar says his mother confessed to crying bitterly when she heard about his tragic death. "I got to watch the Elvis biopic by Austin Butler with a very dear friend of mine and that was a very special night for me," he admits.

So, we aren't surprised when Aaron says he grew up listening to Elvis Presley. He continues, "My mum was and still is a die-hard Elvis Presley fan. She would play his CDs and cassettes on loop till they wore down. I slowly grew into his music as I got older. Once I understood the lyrics and the emotion, he sang his songs with, it all clicked and made me revere his performances."

Ask Aaron to pick his favourite songs, and he is in a dilemma because the super fan loves all his songs as he believes that Presley has one for every genre. However, Aaron categorises them and names the favourites like a true fan. For starters, he enjoys the foot-tappers, which are also the favourites for people who love jive. He goes straight for ‘Hound Dog', ‘Jailhouse Rock', ‘All Shook Up' and ‘Blue Suede Shoes',and then ‘Can't Help Fallin In Love' and ‘Wonder of You'gets him into waltz. "My long drives got to have ‘Viva Las Vegas', ‘Little Less Conversation', ‘Return To Sender'. My mum got into researching him during the lockdown and even uncovered many unknown songs that he had recorded during his recording sessions but never got to see the light of day. They are pretty amazing and are on YouTube too," adds Aaron, who believes the soul and emotion with which he sings his songs is what makes him unique and evergreen even today.

It is also what Lisa Pereira believes. If Aaron was named after Elvis, she was named after his daughter Lisa Presley. Lisa, another Bandra resident jokes that she has "always been a part of the family". "When I was little and sitting outside my family house in Virar and playing with my cousins, my uncle who loved to play songs every day played a song with a crazy drum solo. As a child, I was always drawn to songs where the drums really spoke, so I went up to him and asked him ‘Who is this person?' and he immediately told me it is Elvis Presley's ‘Suspicious Minds', and it was his live concert that was playing. That is how I got introduced to him but didn't know how he looked at all."

A few years later, Lisa's father was playing another one of Elvis's lesser-known songs ‘Little Sister', and she immediately gravitated towards it. While she still hadn't had the opportunity to see how he looks, when she finally got her computer and looked for him, she was completely amazed by his ‘vibe', and showmanship and flair on stage that she became a fan for life. "Later on, my dad told me that I was named after Elvis's daughter," shares the 27-year-old city-based teacher, who is also a singer.

Every time she performs, Lisa makes it a point to sing ‘Can't Help Falling in Love' and ‘Suspicious Minds', which also happen to be her favourite songs of his. "Whenever I sing and perform for bands, I try to imitate his moves. Till today, my legs shiver like his do when performing, and my hands will go like his, as soon as his songs start playing," adds the Bandra resident, who also performs at The Taj Mahal Palace hotel in Mumbai too.

Even though she never got the opportunity to witness Presley live, the Mumbaikar makes sure to attend performances by Elvis Presley impersonators in the city. While one is performances by Meghani every time, the other one is Foley. "Every time Garry has come to India, I have attended the performances," shares a giggling Lisa, unable to control her excitement while talking about Elvis. While she doesn't have any memorabilia particularly, whenever Foley comes to India, he gives a scarf with his sweat. "Every time Elvis performed ‘Love Me Tender', he would go really close to the audience around him, and they used to give him their handkerchief to wipe his sweat, and he would give it to them back. So, every Elvis Presley impersonator does that around the world. So, I have got those scarves from Foley," she adds. Apart from that, she is also lucky to get books and pins about Elvis from the Graceland Mansion, which was the singer's home.

Personally, she has even immortalised Elvis in her life by stitching a suit for her dad's 50th birthday because he is a huge fan of the American singer. She adds, "I stitched the suit with DIY sequins on them and did a tribute concert for him." Ever since then, every time Lisa performs on stage after that, she always wears the suit and sing the songs.

So, what makes Elvis Presley unique for her? She says, "He was also an all-rounder because he was a singer and an actor, a sweet talker and very handsome too." Last but not the least, the Mumbai super fan says it was also his inspiring life story that makes him unique and continues to inspire her and countless other fans around the world even today.