Post by Amz on Jul 7, 2006 3:20:48 GMT
'Real' Bollywood show set for UK
By Michael Osborn
Entertainment reporter, BBC News
A stage show billed as the first "genuine" Bollywood musical is to tour the UK and Europe in the autumn.
The Merchants of Bollywood features songs from India's hit films and has a cast of performers who work in Mumbai's prolific movie industry.
The show, based on the story of Indian film choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant, has been a success in Australia.
Its makers have called it "authentic" compared to Andrew Lloyd Webber's West End musical Bombay Dreams.
Energetic
The show, originally produced in Mumbai, has been developed for its European run, and will feature a 40-strong cast including musicians, singers, actors and dancers.
The performers will each have to change costume 12 times during the show, as musical sequences from Bollywood films spanning several decades are revived.
"It opens your eyes to Bollywood, India's greatest cultural export
Actor Arif Zakaria"
After a Christmas run at London's Hammersmith Apollo, it is scheduled to return to Europe for an extended run.
Dates in Asia - including India - are being considered, along with a North American tour if it proves a box office hit.
Ms Merchant, who has choreographed hit films including Oscar-nominated Lagaan and recent UK box office hit Fanaa, has directed the show's energetic dance routines.
Her late grandfather Shantilal, who was also a renowned Bollywood choreographer, is at the centre of the musical's story.
She said that signing up Bollywood's big stars to appear in the show would prove very difficult, as they are usually committed to four films per year.
Ms Merchant added that choreographing the stage show is "more intense" than producing dance sequences for a Bollywood film, and it was "the most exciting project I have worked on".
Actor Arif Zakaria, who plays Shantilal, says the show is "a guided tour of India" and sheds light on the country's religious and cultural diversity.
'Heart and soul'
"It opens your eyes to Bollywood, India's great cultural export," he adds.
The show's Australian producer, Mark Brady, said the major difference between The Merchants of Bollywood and Bombay Dreams was its "authenticity".
"We produced it in Mumbai with top people in the Bollywood industry. It's also a true story. It's from the heart and soul of Bollywood itself."
Bombay Dreams ran for two years in London's West End and had an eight-month stint on Broadway.
There had been plans to stage the production in Mumbai and a number of other Asian cities.
news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/entertainment/5154884.stm
By Michael Osborn
Entertainment reporter, BBC News
A stage show billed as the first "genuine" Bollywood musical is to tour the UK and Europe in the autumn.
The Merchants of Bollywood features songs from India's hit films and has a cast of performers who work in Mumbai's prolific movie industry.
The show, based on the story of Indian film choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant, has been a success in Australia.
Its makers have called it "authentic" compared to Andrew Lloyd Webber's West End musical Bombay Dreams.
Energetic
The show, originally produced in Mumbai, has been developed for its European run, and will feature a 40-strong cast including musicians, singers, actors and dancers.
The performers will each have to change costume 12 times during the show, as musical sequences from Bollywood films spanning several decades are revived.
"It opens your eyes to Bollywood, India's greatest cultural export
Actor Arif Zakaria"
After a Christmas run at London's Hammersmith Apollo, it is scheduled to return to Europe for an extended run.
Dates in Asia - including India - are being considered, along with a North American tour if it proves a box office hit.
Ms Merchant, who has choreographed hit films including Oscar-nominated Lagaan and recent UK box office hit Fanaa, has directed the show's energetic dance routines.
Her late grandfather Shantilal, who was also a renowned Bollywood choreographer, is at the centre of the musical's story.
She said that signing up Bollywood's big stars to appear in the show would prove very difficult, as they are usually committed to four films per year.
Ms Merchant added that choreographing the stage show is "more intense" than producing dance sequences for a Bollywood film, and it was "the most exciting project I have worked on".
Actor Arif Zakaria, who plays Shantilal, says the show is "a guided tour of India" and sheds light on the country's religious and cultural diversity.
'Heart and soul'
"It opens your eyes to Bollywood, India's great cultural export," he adds.
The show's Australian producer, Mark Brady, said the major difference between The Merchants of Bollywood and Bombay Dreams was its "authenticity".
"We produced it in Mumbai with top people in the Bollywood industry. It's also a true story. It's from the heart and soul of Bollywood itself."
Bombay Dreams ran for two years in London's West End and had an eight-month stint on Broadway.
There had been plans to stage the production in Mumbai and a number of other Asian cities.
news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/entertainment/5154884.stm
