Bollywood may be a huge, even global, phenomenon, but transferring it to a British stage has proved problematic. Manchester Arena is massively undersold, leading to an awkward stand-off between explosions of colour and movement onstage and vast empty spaces off it.

None of this bothers Celena Jaitley. Introduced as "the new, beautiful nightingale of Bollywood", the 21-year-old telephonist turned model/actress/singer shows why Bollywood's music is such a source of fascination for Western pop and hip-hop musicians. Her rhythms are as mesmeric as acid house but a million times more exotic; pounding drums mix with gentle acoustic guitars and birdsong. The lime-clad songbird's voice is every bit as ethereal as Cocteau Twins' Liz Fraser. Fantastic stuff that will probably be sampled by the end of this week.

Aishwarya Rai gets built up as "the most beautiful face in the world", but without video screens (what an organisational own goal) this is difficult to verify. "Love you too," she giggles. Her sonic maelstrom sounds like Kylie Minogue produced by Phil Spector in Bombay. It was mimed, unfortunately, but the "world's most beautiful face" clearly isn't too bothered about a mere trifle like singing.

If this event is anything to go by, Bollywood's girls are leaving the blokes in the last century. Latest superstar pinup Hrithik Roshan surrounds himself with girls in leotards, and samples from Queen's A Kind of Magic, the end result being something like a Noel's House Party from Hell.

Fadeen Khan can't perform due to a fracture, but he hobbles on gamely with a foot held aloft by crutches. Sadly he puts his other foot in his mouth with a terrible sexist joke. A question-and-answer session reduces the night to queries such as: "Do you take advantage of your co-stars?" Someone in the crowd's angry response begins with "Boll..." but certainly doesn't end with "... ywood".

· At Birmingham NEC tonight. Box office: 08709 094 133.