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Shantilal came from a merchant family who held the responsibility of upholding the ancient Kathak dance, the dance of their Gods. He was also formerly a famous choreographer in Bollywood but left the the industry when western trends started to have influence in it. He then formed his own dance school back home.
His beautiful grandaughter - Ayesha, a very talented dancer, left Rajasthan to make it big in Bollywood. She too dreamt of being a well-known choreographer, just like her grandfather. However, being of different generations, both viewed the dance choreographing differently. Ayesha was more inclined for modern dance styles whilst Shantilal being of the older generation, classical.
After years of making a name for herself in Bollywood, she learnt that her grandfather was ill. She rushed back to Rajasthan but was not welcomed by her grandfather. Upon his death, there were no one else to continue his legacy of performing the dance of their Gods. Ayesha, who by then had married her childhood sweetheart- Uday, understanding her responsibility, continued the dance school and maintained her family legacy.
Yet, she did it her way..teaching classical dance and balanced it with modern styles.
Personal comments: From a layman view of a theatre fan, this musical theatre was a let down for me.
Sure, the dances performed were extremely entertaining and brilliantly choreographed. The stamina of the dancers were (i admit) unbelievable..dancing fast numbers without breaking a sweat. The choice of colours for their clothing were very beautiful and not one were a sore in the eyes. There were funny moments especially when Mr Tony and is assistant (sorry, forgot his name) made their entrance every time throughout the show. The lighting were fantastic (if all the lights were from Istana Budaya itself..then..I am very proud of my country - as always!)
Yet....why the let down? It was not enough 'theatre' for me. It was more like a mini concert.
1. The dance and the songs did not really 'play along' with the 'script'..for an example, when it was supposed to be a sad scene, the song that came after it, did not 'sing' a sad tune..but a fast paced dance tune - or was it me who did not pay much attention?
2. Instead of singing live (as all theatre shows I have been to), here, they mimed - Bollywood or not, should not all theatres regardless where they are originally from, be sang live? I mean..isn't this what distinguishes concerts and movies from theatres???
3. At the start of the show, there were a few guys dancing the classical moves but..wearing very obvious black sneakers! Honestly, barefooted would have suited them better in their clothing at that time - oh well, I thought at first..maybe they wanted to save time in costume changing but...as the show went on, the women changed from one shoes to another! Not wanting to sound feminine, but.... Heck! It just proved that this is just another thing that we women are capable of doing and men not! Haha!!
In a nutshell, not being bias....I would say Tiara Jacquelina's Puteri Gunung Ledang and P.Ramlee the Musical were much better. There were more props in Tiara's but..okay...maybe Merchants of Bollywood had 'covered' this shortcoming with their brilliantly play of the lights.
In conclusion, would I have bought another ticket to watch Merchants of Bollywood again? Hmmm..maybe once is enough...unless...I was handed a free ticket and then to remind myself to just relax, enjoy the songs and dances, and not expect a theatre show.
-Nena-
