All aboard the Taj Express

For the past decade or so, Bollywood musicals have been finding wider audiences in the West with both “Bombay Dreams” and “Merchants of Bollywood” enjoying critical acclaim in the UK, US and Australia.

Now Thai audiences are in for a taste of this flamboyant spectacle. Shruti Merchant, director and producer of “Taj Express” talks enthusiastically about bringing her show to Bangkok. 

“I personally feel that the biggest difference between ‘Taj Express’ and other shows is that ‘Taj’ is the first Bollywood stage musical produced, directed and choreographed by an Indian company and not an interpretation of India through a foreigner’s eye,” she says. “This by itself makes ‘Taj Express’ different from the others.

 “Bollywood films have become their own distinct entity, making inroads into non-Hindi speaking countries such as the US, UK, China, Japan, Mauritius, Portugal, Germany and South American countries. Even though musical movies have been produced across the world, Bollywood films are the true musical movies. It’s the acting, the culture, the tradition, the dance and the different colour palettes used that excite the international audience.”

She uses examples like “Raja Harishchandra” (1913) to “Awaara” (1951) to “Bend It Like Beckham” (2002) to prove that “the crossover to connect India to the world has been successful and audiences not only love watching our movies but also love the Bollywood superstars”.

Despite the sub-title “The Bollywood Musical”, her “Taj Express” goes beyond Bollywood.

“The show marries new India’s pop and Bollywood culture with deep-rooted traditions. The storyline is derived from a typical Bollywood movie. It has all the flavours and elements of the Bollywood movie, which has been entertaining billions of people in India since ‘Alam-Ara’ was released back in 1931. ‘Taj Express’ is an experience that brings the magic and formula used while producing an Indian movie to the stage. It’s a story of worlds colliding – film and reality, wealth and poverty, city and the country. Through a fusion of film, music, stories and dance, the production takes the audience on a journey and makes you feel as if you’re not only in India, but actually in the scene of a Bollywood film.”

And those scenes are even more moving when transposed on a live stage. 

 “The ‘give and take’ between the audience and artist is what makes it special. Laughing, crying, dancing and experiencing all emotions at the very same time as the character make it different from movies.

“The entire cast was selected after auditioning over thousands of people from across India. It’s not about how good a performer is but his/her nature. It’s not one person when you’re on tour: it’s a full family,” she explains.

In 2012, when “Taj express” was touring China, the Beijing Review quoted Merchant as saying that it's difficult to convince theatres in India to produce this work. 

“Taj Express” performed for select audiences there before travelling to Singapore for its world premiere at the Esplanade Theatre.

“The reaction and encouragement that we received in India was heart-warming. And Singapore’s mixed audience gave us amazing reviews.”

That has led to more dates at home. Merchant says that for now, “There is a change in the mindset for sure. We’ve been continuously getting enquiries to perform in India. I see a change not only in the theatres but in the audiences in India as well. We do hear about international shows coming to India.”

Since Singapore, “Taj Express” has been to several countries, among them China, Taiwan, France and Tunisia. Merchant notes, “The audiences in China and Taiwan were mostly locals. So getting a standing ovation in these territories, especially with language being a barrier, gave us an enormous boost. It was a pleasure performing in these countries and entertaining the audience.”

She promises that “Taj Express” will enthral Bangkok audiences. “I think they will love with our scintillating dance sequences, blockbuster music and jaw dropping acting,” she laughs,

 

BOLLYWOOD AND BEYOND

“Taj Express: The Bollywood Musical” will be performed at 2.30 and 7.30pm on October 11 and 12 at the Thailand Cultural Centre.

Tickets are Bt800 to Bt3,000 at ThaiTicketMajor.

For more details, visit www.BangkokFestivals.com, www.Facebook.com/Bangkoks|InternationalFestivalOfDance|Music and www.TajExpressTheMusical.com.

 

Bangkok’s 16th International Festival of Dance and Music is supported by Bangkok Bank, the Crown Property Bureau, BMW, B Grimm, Bangkok Hospital, Dusit Thani Bangkok, Indorama Ventures, Nation Multimedia, Beiersdorf, PTT, Singha Corporation, Thai Airways, Tourism Authority of Thailand and the Ministry of Culture.