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Indian Express

Mumbai Star, a dance musical about highs and lows of chasing stardom, opens on Saturday

MUMBAI Star, a new dance musical, follows the journey of Dev, a young dancer from a coastal Maharashtra village, who musters the courage to follow his dreams of becoming a star and moves to Mumbai. He joins hundreds of hopefuls as he competes to win a major talent show and claim the 'Mumbai Star' title. As Dhruv mavigates fame, love, and identity, the play also explores his life-changing encounter with a mentor. Helmed by director Nadir Khan with choreography by Avantika Bahl and original music by composer Dhruv Ghanekar, this theatrical production brings together powerful movement and music to create a genre-defying theatrical experience. 'Mumbai Star alludes to what the city means to so many people, who come here to make their dreams come true and seek a better life. It is about their aspirations and determination,' says Khan. The dance musical, originally produced as a project by the Min-On Concert Association, Tokyo, has been revived as part of Aadyam Theatre. It will open at Mumbai's St. Andrew's Auditorium on Saturday evening. The play, conceived by Devika Shahani, has been reimagined by writers Akarsh Khurana and Arghya Lahiri for its upcoming production. Shahani says: 'Mumbai Star is a universal story about one of the most important relationships of our lives — the guru and shishya. I wanted to present the dynamic between mentor and disciple through music and dance.' The show's narration is led by actors Rajit Kapur and Srishti Shrivastava. Talking about the process of choreographing for the show, Bahl says, 'There's been a diverse number of forms that we've had — ranging from Kathak to Jazz to Bollywood to Hip-Hop. What's been both challenging and exciting for me is to be able to sort of find a common language. It's also been really wonderful to have our guest choreographers who've been able to add their own sort of voice to some of the compositions.' While Surabhi Andrade as associate choreographer 'came in with her own very distinct sort of personal voice and touch', Vivaran Dhasmana choreographs the hip-hop sets, Krutika Mehta brings the Bollywood flavour, and Vidushi Uma Dogra, a Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardee, curates the Kathak pieces. The dance musical is the blend of 'storytelling, dance and music' that 'hold equal parts' in taking the story forward, says Bahl. 'Mumbai Star celebrates dance — both modern and traditional — and dancers themselves, as individuals and a collective,' believes Khan. The shows of Mumbai Star will be held on May 24 at 7:30PM; May 25 at 4PM & 7:30PM at St Andrew's Auditorium.