Bollywood- themed musical By SHEELA CHANDRAN *Internationally acclaimed musical Merchants Of Bollywood is set to wow Malaysians.*
BOLLYWOOD seems to be the new Hollywood. Since Danny Boyle’s *Slumdog Millionaire *grabbed* *eight Oscars at the 81st Academy Awards, the popularity of the Indian film industry has been soaring. Articles about *Slumdog* *Millionaire* actor Dev Patel’s relationship with co-star Freida Pinto or how the father of child star Rubina Ali tried to sell her for £200,000 (RM1.05mil) made headlines in newspapers as well. Did we forget to mention that everyone also wants a piece of the movie’s award-winning composer A.R. Rahman? “Bollywood has carved a name for being a niche market that makes over 700 films a year, which is far more than Hollywood. Moviegoers are intrigued by its exotic music and dance, which is part of the Indian culture. People are beginning to understand that Indian movies are about making dreams come true,” said 33-year-old Vaibhavi Merchant. The choreographer of the musical *Merchants Of Bollywood *(MOB)* *was in Kuala Lumpur to promote the show*. * The musical features its original cast which has been travelling around the world performing to sold-out theatres. The performance, being held from July 14 to 26, is the only international production staged at Istana Budaya this year. *Glitzy:* *Merchants Of Bollywood* revolves around the aspirations of a dancer and features music by A.R. Rahman “MOB takes audiences through 15,000 years of Indian history, culture, religion, music and dance through the perspective of a young Indian woman who refuses to bow down to tradition and prejudice. It sees her setting out on her own path and pursuing her dream, and rising to the challenges that society and her family have put before her,” said director Toby Gough, 38. Featuring music composed by A.R. Rahman and renowned musician brothers Salim and Sulaiman Merchant, the musical extravaganza has been staged in countries including Britain, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, South Africa and Australia. MOB is adapted from Vaibhavi’s* *life, revolving around her dreams and determination to become a dancer despite her family’s discouragement. The musical tells the story of the fictional Ayesha Merchant, the granddaughter of a renowned Bollywood choreographer, Shantilal Merchant. Shantilal has taught Ayesha the art of Indian classical dance in their home in Rajasthan but Ayesha dreams of making her name in Bollywood. She then leaves home for Mumbai and finds great success in film. However, her ailing grandfather and her childhood sweetheart Uday, lure her home. Leading the cast are Carol Furtado, Dipender Singh and Arif Zakaria. Gough, whose credits include having directed Shakespeare’s *Julius Caesar*, *Tempest*, *Romeo And Juliet *and *Midsummer Night’s Dream,* was inspired to direct MOB as it shared similarities with the Bard’s works. “Shakespeare took stories that people told him and created them so that they would fit into the society of his time. We have taken stories the world would like to hear today,” said Gough, who penned the script for the musical. Vaibhavi chipped in: “Indian dance has a rich context and is filled with the art of story telling. We narrate stories through dance forms like*bharatanatyam * and *kathak*.” Authentic music and dance spectacular The 90-minute musical has a whopping budget of US$8mil (RM28.8mil) and is the biggest production Gough has worked on. Helping him on the show are a team comprising talented music composers, six percussionists and a cast of 40 Mumbai-based dancers, who have appeared on Bollywood dance sequences choreographed by Vaibhavi. “The only challenge is having to work with dancers who have not had the experience of dancing on stage for two hours. It’s different from filming a movie whereby film directors can always retake a shot if they aren’t satisfied with it. On stage, everything is on the spot and there’s no room for mistakes,” Gough explained. The musical showcases the artistry of classical Indian dance moves fused with modern dance genres such as funk, disco and hip hop. Vaibhavi, who has worked with A-list celebrities like Amitabh Bachan, Hrithik Roshan and Shah Rukh Khan, said the musical has 48 songs taken from Bollywood movies such as *Bunty Aur Babli*, *Dhoom 2*, *Dostana, Rang De Basanti *and *Salam Namaste, *which she choreographed. Vaibhavi explained that apart from the great dance routines, audiences will be captivated by the 1,200 costumes and 2,500 pieces of jewellery worn by the cast. “The outfits are colourful and we have added sequins to make them more glittery. The costumes and jewellery are sourced from different places including Gujerat, Chennai and Rajasthan,” said the Rajasthan-born choreographer who is trained in Indian classical dances and is the granddaughter of late renowned choreographer Shri Hiralal Merchant. ***Merchants Of Bollywood** will be staged at Istana Budaya, Kuala Lumpur, from July 14 to 26. Tickets are priced from RM70 to RM500 and are available through www.ticketpro.com.my or via **03-7880 7999. Limited student tickets are also available at RM45. For details, log on to www.mobkl.com or call **03-7955 9995.* http://www.star-ecentral.com/news/story.asp?file=/2009/6/3/soundnstage/3846199&sec=soundnstage -- regards, Vithur
