Art & Culture   
Bombay Dreams on Broadway  

A handsome slum dweller (Akaash) from a certain Bombay slum called Paradise, has aspirations of becoming a Bollywood movie actor. He lives in a jhopadpatti with his old grandmother Shantiji. Of course, he is talented because he has the gift of singing and dancing – prerequisites for becoming a Bollywood star (though singing is not really a necessary talent as playback singers lend their voices to heroes). Soon a rich, corrupt business corporation is planning to tear down the slums and construct high rises. The hero’s friends and neighbors, including a eunuch (Hijira) called Sweetie, are outraged. When a lawyer, with his beautiful fiancé (Priya), visits them and offers his services pro bono, the slum dwellers are thrilled. The lawyer’s fiancé is very sympathetic to the plight of the poor and also is a daughter of a famous movie mogul of Bollywood (who has had a row of colossal flops).

By chance, a beauty contest had been planned in the city. The slum dwellers do not like the idea of the exploitation of women by rich folks (remember Bangalore’s Miss World beauty contest with all the protests?). The inhabitants of the slums plan a protest on the site of the competition and disrupt the proceedings. The episode was to be filmed under the direction of none other than Priya (it was going to be her big break to come out from under her father’s shadows).

During the protest, Akaash dresses up as a woman (looking more like a hijira) and creates a song and dance sequence that is filmed by Priya. This also impresses one of the premier actresses of Bollywood, named Rani. Rani insists that for her next movie she wants Aakaash to play the lead role with her. Priya’s father, the producer reluctantly agrees to cast Akaash as the hero in his forthcoming venture.

The rest of the story is vintage Bollywood movie in a fast forward mode. There is a scene where Rani jumps into a fountain in a white sari and is completely wet. Song and dance sequences, including the recreation of the famous “Chaiya Chaiya” song on slow moving train top is well done. “Mujhe Rang De” is sung to a pleasing spectacle. Of course, there are predictable twists and turns one can expect in a Hindi movie including a wedding scene where the villainous bridegroom is prevented from marrying the doe-eyed innocent bride, who was unaware of his nefarious activities until the last minute. She is saved from the jaws of injustice just in time to wed our hero. There are the usual “masala” - villainy and murder, comedy, songs and dances, pathos, fight scene (dishum, dishum, they call it), and above all entertainment in Bombay Dreams on Broadway. It is a shorter version of a Hindi movie on stage (only two hours long instead of four!) But everything one can expect from a Hindi movie is included in the play. There is even a procession with giant idols of Ganesh for the festival.

– Continued

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