BY SONAM MIRPURI
LOS ANGELES, CA - Shruti Merchant, Director and Producer of the musical ‘Taj Express’ which will be playing in SoCal this weekend, says she was striving to bring a more realistic interpretation of India and Bollywood to a global platform with a new and unique musical production by an all Indian dance company.
LOS ANGELES, CA - Shruti Merchant, Director and Producer of the musical ‘Taj Express’ which will be playing in SoCal this weekend, says she was striving to bring a more realistic interpretation of India and Bollywood to a global platform with a new and unique musical production by an all Indian dance company.
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The first of its kind musical has been created by artists who have been living and working in the industry rather than by international producers who do not seem to have an accurate understanding of what India and Bollywood truly are.
Shruti came up with the musical hoping to change the perception of India to the outside world after realizing and understanding that the world has a superficial preconceived view of India. This brought an interesting drama to life.
“I wanted to burst that bubble and show that India is much more than the land of snake charmers. The inspiration for the show came from glimpses of Incredible India: its colors, its festivals, its music and dance all put together with a sense of drama to bring to the audiences the extravaganza that is the `Taj Express’ – The Bollywood Musical,” said Shruti.
In 2010, Shruti began working on her vision of ‘Taj Express.’ That idea then blossomed into an actuality with performances since 2011. The World Premiere was held in the Esplanade Theatre, Singapore in June 2012. From that point onwards ‘Taj Express’ has had 150 shows and toured a variety of countries like France, Turkey, Russia, China, and more.
Enthused by the vision, Vaibhavi Merchant, Shruti’s sister, was thrilled to have been given such an opportunity to help bring such a delightful notion to life. “I remember when she (Shruti) discussed the idea and the story of the show with me. I was speechless and could not have asked for more than to be associated with this project,” said Vaibhavi, Director of Choreography for `Taj Express.’
Any idea can have obstacles while attempting to bring it to reality. Shruti was not exempt from this which is why she too faced many hardships. Not only has she tackled hindrances in the beginning stages, but as the years continued so did the obstacles. However, none of that stopped Shruti from bringing her vision to life.
“With each year and each tour there are new challenges, but this is what keeps us going. With all the problems in the world, `Taj Express’ is a show that all audiences can enjoy. In this troubled world its vision of culture and diversity is a message we are proud of,” said Shruti.
Initially, the idea for Taj Express was to personify India and to give the audience an excursion of a lifetime through India’s various landscapes so they could see the rituals and festivals of this enchanting land. However, the show changes to keep the audience on their toes. “We always try to be original and groundbreaking and keep the show updated with the latest hit songs and fresh choreography,” said Shruti.
Keeping aspects of ‘Taj Express’ different and innovative, this year holds an interesting new twist.
“What we are doing new is incorporating live musicians in the show for the first time,” said Shruti.
While watching the show audience members can discover an interesting amount of new concepts which they may not be accustomed to. Not only that, but also bridge the gap between Bollywood and Hollywood. “The audiences would learn how music and dance are essential in the filming of a story, religion plays an important part in most films, and how films are put together on limited budgets and that they normally follow a strict formula. Also they would learn that like films in Hollywood, Bollywood films rely on good reviews,” said Shruti. For more info: http://www.tajexpressthemusical.com/bollywoodmusical.
Shruti came up with the musical hoping to change the perception of India to the outside world after realizing and understanding that the world has a superficial preconceived view of India. This brought an interesting drama to life.
“I wanted to burst that bubble and show that India is much more than the land of snake charmers. The inspiration for the show came from glimpses of Incredible India: its colors, its festivals, its music and dance all put together with a sense of drama to bring to the audiences the extravaganza that is the `Taj Express’ – The Bollywood Musical,” said Shruti.
In 2010, Shruti began working on her vision of ‘Taj Express.’ That idea then blossomed into an actuality with performances since 2011. The World Premiere was held in the Esplanade Theatre, Singapore in June 2012. From that point onwards ‘Taj Express’ has had 150 shows and toured a variety of countries like France, Turkey, Russia, China, and more.
Enthused by the vision, Vaibhavi Merchant, Shruti’s sister, was thrilled to have been given such an opportunity to help bring such a delightful notion to life. “I remember when she (Shruti) discussed the idea and the story of the show with me. I was speechless and could not have asked for more than to be associated with this project,” said Vaibhavi, Director of Choreography for `Taj Express.’
Any idea can have obstacles while attempting to bring it to reality. Shruti was not exempt from this which is why she too faced many hardships. Not only has she tackled hindrances in the beginning stages, but as the years continued so did the obstacles. However, none of that stopped Shruti from bringing her vision to life.
“With each year and each tour there are new challenges, but this is what keeps us going. With all the problems in the world, `Taj Express’ is a show that all audiences can enjoy. In this troubled world its vision of culture and diversity is a message we are proud of,” said Shruti.
Initially, the idea for Taj Express was to personify India and to give the audience an excursion of a lifetime through India’s various landscapes so they could see the rituals and festivals of this enchanting land. However, the show changes to keep the audience on their toes. “We always try to be original and groundbreaking and keep the show updated with the latest hit songs and fresh choreography,” said Shruti.
Keeping aspects of ‘Taj Express’ different and innovative, this year holds an interesting new twist.
“What we are doing new is incorporating live musicians in the show for the first time,” said Shruti.
While watching the show audience members can discover an interesting amount of new concepts which they may not be accustomed to. Not only that, but also bridge the gap between Bollywood and Hollywood. “The audiences would learn how music and dance are essential in the filming of a story, religion plays an important part in most films, and how films are put together on limited budgets and that they normally follow a strict formula. Also they would learn that like films in Hollywood, Bollywood films rely on good reviews,” said Shruti. For more info: http://www.tajexpressthemusical.com/bollywoodmusical.
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