BY DEVIKA C. MEHTA
COSTA MESA, CA – The Taj stands as the ‘7th Wonder of the World’ in India and the musical ‘Taj Express’ is no less in grandeur and appeal. The Bollywood musical that played at the Segerstrom Arts Center here on April 21-22 brought together an enthralling and dynamic combination of music, dance, theatre, extravaganza and...
COSTA MESA, CA – The Taj stands as the ‘7th Wonder of the World’ in India and the musical ‘Taj Express’ is no less in grandeur and appeal. The Bollywood musical that played at the Segerstrom Arts Center here on April 21-22 brought together an enthralling and dynamic combination of music, dance, theatre, extravaganza and...
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splashing colors, taking people on a glorious tour of ‘Incredible India’. Produced and directed by the Merchant sisters- Vaibhavi and Shruti, Taj Express is effortlessly joyful, shimmering and larger-than-life world that is Bollywood cinema. The production is also the first original Indian musical to have successfully completed five years of international touring. The globally acclaimed performances, spectacularly wrapped into 120 minutes, surely weaves its magic to mesmerize and captivate audiences.
It would not be wrong to say that Taj Express has created a pathbreaking song, dance and drama extravaganza that entertains and enthralls audiences of all ages, world-over, giving audiences a true flavor of India. It certainly brings the true vivacity and the enchantment of India to life. At the start of every performance, one is charmed by the magical sheen, but the end leaves people wanting more. The love story of Arjun-Kareena as told by a young aspiring Indian composer, Shankar touches hearts.
Reminiscing about his role, Hiten Shah (Arjun) says, “I have been so deeply involved with dance since my childhood and Taj Express experience has not just added to my growth but also given me the opportunity to lead. I look forward to entertain the world with my best performances in future.”
Tanvi Patil (Kareena) adds, “The nuances of stage—the music, the lights, the sweat, the extravagant costumes and last but not least the applause by the audience is what it takes to quench my thirst as a performer.”
As the story goes, Shankar wants to create music for a brand new Bollywood movie, Taj Express; he is inspired by Oscar winner AR Rahman and invites the audience to be part of his creative world by taking them through the script, page by page, making the music for each character and event in the roller-coaster romance. For him music is the key to a hit movie, so he writes music for passionate dance numbers, dramatic car crashes, thrilling fight scenes, and high energy celebrity parties in the first act. In the second act, he creates a score for the stunning landscape of a train journey, folk dances, and some final dramatic revelations.
His two prominent characters are Kareena (a beautiful actress) and Arjun (a handsome roadside Romeo) who believe that they are both from opposite worlds, however, it is their love for dance that brings them together. Their relationship faces hardships and turmoil. Arjun knows that Kareena can only understand true love when she rediscovers the essence of dance, poetry and meditation. Thus they escape to a colorful, exotic and magical land. The journey takes them from the film studios of Mumbai, to the southernmost tip of India, from the temples of Varanasi to the fields of Punjab, ending with a fabulous wedding in the Royal Palaces of Rajasthan. Just like any other Bollywood movie, this story is also incomplete without a villain; thus, enters Shakaal, an underground Mob Boss, who has a vendetta against Arjun and a mission to bring Kareena back to Bollywood or destroy them both. In the final dramatic encounter, Shakaal is defeated and Arjun is revealed to be an undercover Prince who marries Kareena in a fabulous, opulent, Indian wedding.
The other actors playing their parts are- Mikhail Sen as narrator; Male dance performers- Ashish Gakwad, Ashish Vakani, Devendra Singh, Gaurav Pathak, Himanshu Parihar, Kiran Waghchawre, Mohsin Shaikh, Niraj Lama, Rahul Sonawane, Sahil Mayenkar and Suresh Chavan; Female dance performers- Ankita Sheth, Beena Patel, Hetal Seta, Kavita Khillare, Khushbu Vakani, Puja Banarji, Priya Shetty, Reshma Belose, Sadhwi Majumder, Shraddha Dandge and Sneha Singh. The musicians who gave some live performances are Chandan Raina–guitarist, Anish Kale– percussionist and Avadooth Phadke– flautist. The contemporary music comes from the Academy Award winning composer, AR Rahman and maestro’s like Salim-Sulaiman Merchant, Monty Sharma. Significantly, the Indian Government has also pledged its support to Taj Express on a global platform through their brand ‘Incredible India’ in 2012. The tourism board also supports Taj Express on its various international efforts while the show tours globally.
It would not be wrong to say that Taj Express has created a pathbreaking song, dance and drama extravaganza that entertains and enthralls audiences of all ages, world-over, giving audiences a true flavor of India. It certainly brings the true vivacity and the enchantment of India to life. At the start of every performance, one is charmed by the magical sheen, but the end leaves people wanting more. The love story of Arjun-Kareena as told by a young aspiring Indian composer, Shankar touches hearts.
Reminiscing about his role, Hiten Shah (Arjun) says, “I have been so deeply involved with dance since my childhood and Taj Express experience has not just added to my growth but also given me the opportunity to lead. I look forward to entertain the world with my best performances in future.”
Tanvi Patil (Kareena) adds, “The nuances of stage—the music, the lights, the sweat, the extravagant costumes and last but not least the applause by the audience is what it takes to quench my thirst as a performer.”
As the story goes, Shankar wants to create music for a brand new Bollywood movie, Taj Express; he is inspired by Oscar winner AR Rahman and invites the audience to be part of his creative world by taking them through the script, page by page, making the music for each character and event in the roller-coaster romance. For him music is the key to a hit movie, so he writes music for passionate dance numbers, dramatic car crashes, thrilling fight scenes, and high energy celebrity parties in the first act. In the second act, he creates a score for the stunning landscape of a train journey, folk dances, and some final dramatic revelations.
His two prominent characters are Kareena (a beautiful actress) and Arjun (a handsome roadside Romeo) who believe that they are both from opposite worlds, however, it is their love for dance that brings them together. Their relationship faces hardships and turmoil. Arjun knows that Kareena can only understand true love when she rediscovers the essence of dance, poetry and meditation. Thus they escape to a colorful, exotic and magical land. The journey takes them from the film studios of Mumbai, to the southernmost tip of India, from the temples of Varanasi to the fields of Punjab, ending with a fabulous wedding in the Royal Palaces of Rajasthan. Just like any other Bollywood movie, this story is also incomplete without a villain; thus, enters Shakaal, an underground Mob Boss, who has a vendetta against Arjun and a mission to bring Kareena back to Bollywood or destroy them both. In the final dramatic encounter, Shakaal is defeated and Arjun is revealed to be an undercover Prince who marries Kareena in a fabulous, opulent, Indian wedding.
The other actors playing their parts are- Mikhail Sen as narrator; Male dance performers- Ashish Gakwad, Ashish Vakani, Devendra Singh, Gaurav Pathak, Himanshu Parihar, Kiran Waghchawre, Mohsin Shaikh, Niraj Lama, Rahul Sonawane, Sahil Mayenkar and Suresh Chavan; Female dance performers- Ankita Sheth, Beena Patel, Hetal Seta, Kavita Khillare, Khushbu Vakani, Puja Banarji, Priya Shetty, Reshma Belose, Sadhwi Majumder, Shraddha Dandge and Sneha Singh. The musicians who gave some live performances are Chandan Raina–guitarist, Anish Kale– percussionist and Avadooth Phadke– flautist. The contemporary music comes from the Academy Award winning composer, AR Rahman and maestro’s like Salim-Sulaiman Merchant, Monty Sharma. Significantly, the Indian Government has also pledged its support to Taj Express on a global platform through their brand ‘Incredible India’ in 2012. The tourism board also supports Taj Express on its various international efforts while the show tours globally.
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