Dance musical play review/ Mumbai Star

 


BY NARENDRA KUSNUR

Mumbai Star/ dance musical play

Director: Nadir Khan

Producers: Aadyam Theatre, Devika Shahani, The Dragon Rose Project

Writers: Akarsh Khurana, Arghya Lahiri 

Cast: Avenav Mukherjee, Arushi Nigam, Rajit Kapur, Srishti Shrivastava

Rating: *****

(Pic taken by blogger)

--

Dhol bajaa re, dhum dhum bajaa re

Dhol bajaa re, dhum dhum bajaa re

Behti yeh lehrein, dil ko pukaarein,

Jhoom le naach le, masti mein gaa re

Yes, the feet tapped, the fingers snapped, the hands clapped. For around 100 minutes, a short break in between, the audience at Bandra's St Andrew's Auditorium on May 24 and 25 was enchanted by a group of 15 dancers presenting a seamless flow of contemporary, jazz, hip-hop dance and Kathak.

Mumbai Star, the dance musical, had arrived with a fresh script and two narrators. Produced by Devika Shahani, directed by Nadir Khan and choreographed by Avantika Bahl, it had earlier been showcased as a dance act as part of a festival organised by the Min-On Concert Association, Tokyo, in 2023. With music by Dhruv Ghanekar and lyrics by Ishitta Arun, the production was well-received.

When shortlisted as part of Season 7 of Aadyam Theatre, an initiative of the Aditya Birla Group, a fresh approach was needed. Thus, Akarsh Khurana and Arghya Lahiri worked on a fresh script, and Rajit Kapur and Srishti Shrivastava played the role of narrators. Theatre, music and dance blended smoothly.

The storyline used is simple. Dev (enacted by Avenav Mukherjee), who stays in a coastal village in Maharashtra, comes to Mumbai to participate in a dance talent show. He has his inhibitions of living in a big city, but his brother supports him. Even after arriving, he faces his share of problems. There's also the love angle, with Koel (Arushi Nigam) also being a talented dancer, and stories on how he does a job and takes proper training. His story is narrated by Rajit with Srishti playing Laya, who hears him out and adds her inputs.

Now, such a story has told often, and nobody will guess twice about who will win the competition. Significantly, the predictable drama and fluctuations are avoided in the script. No see-saws or rollercoasters. Yet, there are twists in the tale and messages to be delivered.

What makes Mumbai Star unique are the sheer spectacle, and the use of dance forms as mediums of expression. While choreographer Avantika and associate choreographer Surabhi Andrade do a fantastic job in creating the right impact and visual experience, each dancer does a fantastic job. Though they are all professionals, a lot of training and rehearsal was required. Thus, the production had guest choreographers Uma Dogra for Kathak, Vivaran Dhasmana for hip-hop and Krutika Mehta for Bollywood.

While the dance routines revolved around Dhruv's music, which moved between filmi, western and semi-classical genres, the lights (Arghya Lahiri and Niranjan Gokhale), costumes (Anubha Pattnaik and Pallavi Patel), sets (Juhie Gupta and Shreeya Tarkar) and sound (Lazarus DSouza) were in sync.

DIrector Nadir has earlier worked on the musical Sing India Sing, besides theatrical productions like The God Of Carnage, A Few Good Men and Twelve Angry Jurors. This was fresh turf and things galloped in style.

For the finale, some dancers came down the aisles and danced with some of the more fleet-footed and flexible-bodied members of the audience. For many, it was a feel-good experience, that lasted a while. Mumbai Star next moves to New Delhi's Kamani Auditorium on June 14 and 15.

Aake hilaade dil ke taar

Ala re ala re Mumbai Star

Karlo tum bhi jay jay kaar

Ala re ala re Mumbai Star

(Lyrics used at the beginning and end by Ishitta Arun, set to music by Dhruv Ghanekar).


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