Back to classics

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Back to classics

Monday, 29 July 2019 | Sakshi Sharma

Back to classics

Director Rajeev Goswami tells Sakshi Sharma that a musical is one of the best ways to express art but sadly it is not appreciated enough the way it should be

Think musicals and ‘Broadway’ is the first thing that comes to mind. You might be imagining West Side Story, Sound of Music, Singin’ in the Rain or even Chicago — all of which have had cinematic outings as well. But cut to India and the scenario is a little different. While relating a story through musicals has long been a part of our tradition, think the innumerable Ram Lilas or the different traditional folk stories, it took some time for them to be mounted on stage in modern form. Musical theatre in India is a fairly new genre, which Indians are waking up to. The first musical to be staged was Zangoora in 2010. Then there was Mughal-e-Azam, a Broadway-style musical based on the 1960 Bollywood film of the same name, directed by K Asif and produced by Shapoorji Pallonji, which was staged for the first time in 2016.

And now we are up for another tale of similar grandeur that will be mounted on stage.  If the trailer of Umrao Jaan Ada with its live music, traditional ghazals, thumris, qawwalis, Kathak dances and larger than life sets is anything to go by, it is a ticket to a different world altogether.

Director Rajeev Goswami, who has made the first ever musical on Umrao Jaan Ada says that this genre is one of the best ways to express art. “They combine several aspects to inspire and educate the audience about the storyline, especially when it is a musical. But the sad part is, they are not appreciated enough the way they should be,” he says.

He is surprised that a musical on Umrao Jaan Ada has not been attempted as yet. “We were creatively pushed and inspired to do this, Umrao Jaan Ada jaisa musical banna chahiye. There have been several plays but a proper Broadway and Western style musical is yet to be staged,” says he.

The director has adapted this musical theatre, Umrao Jaan Ada from the eponymous Urdu classic novel, written by renowned Urdu novelist Mirza Hadi Ruswa. It will revive the timeless story of love and struggle that follows the journey of courtesan Umrao Jaan.

The whole story as a concept has so much of depth and intensity in it that it is a feast for any creative director to make something along these lines. Rajeev says, “The moment I read the book, I knew I wanted to create something as authentic and intense as the story of Umrao Jaan. While reading, I also realised that there are a lot of unexplored and unrevealed emotions in the book, which can make for great theatre.”

He was fascinated by the storyline and the way it is coupled with music and emotions. Rajeev says that the language and incidents are inspiring. The culture of Lucknow and the language is portrayed beautifully. “Yeh humari pehchaan hai (this is our identity). There cannot be a better subject than Umrao Jaan Ada,” adds he.

One reason why people are attracted to musical theatre is its novelty. Such theatre on timeless classic love stories is not made often. Rajeev adds that something which is heartfelt will always have an audience irrespective of the cultural shift. An artist is always treasured.

Music is the essence of such plays. It appeals to our emotions and seems magical especially when you create it at such a grand level. “Every music lover in our country is mesmerised by songs like Dil Cheez Kya Hai and other legendary ones by Khayyam sahab. We have been listening to them since childhood. When you are attached to such music, the interest is even higher,” the director tells us. 

As a music enthusiast, Rajeev has been watching foreign musicals which help him to understand the Indian ones better by comparing the two. He says that he likes the format of a musical, “it is charming.” But the sad part is that despite the fact that music dominates all aspects of our life including seasons, love and work, this genre is lacking in India. “We should be producing musicals left right and centre because there’s a lot of variety available. One can’t even fathom the depth and range of music that we have in our country but we are too lazy to put it out. There are very few people showcasing the high level of our culture,” adds Rajeev.

He tries to fill this void by walking an extra mile, “I felt that I should give it a shot. To create something meaningful, emotional, surreal and to give the audience a great show was the idea. People are still not aware of the difference between a musical and a dance drama,” says he.

The theatre, which is a result of a collective thought process, is quite challenging right from the moment of ideation. Rajeev feels that this is so because it’s live and there are no retakes. “Live singing in sync with the recorded soundtracks requires a lot of detailing. The execution of such music is tough, (laughs) but we have Salim-Sulaiman who have known this so well,” he says.

Striking a balance between the writer, audience and director is tough because the emotions differ when reading a book and witnessing it in a theatre. The director says, “I wondered how will I create these moments on stage so somewhere I took the audience’s perception. At times I have used my creativity. Sometimes I have given importance to the writer’s view to bring out the emotions and ease the flow of the story. That has been my process. I never stick to that rigidness as a director.”

Rajeev doesn’t like it easy. He likes the difficulties that come his way. “Actually it’s in my character.” He keeps on switching roles from a choreographer to a director and to a producer. “It makes it easier for me to understand the whole collectiveness and how everything is amalgamated,” he says.

He guffaws and talks about the expenses incurred in creating those humongous sets. “The nawabi zone is expensive but it will all be worth if people appreciate the effort. This will inspire us to make more such kinds and keep on adding such milestones in our lives.”

(The musical starts from August 3 till 11.)

Photo: Pankaj Kumar

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