A dream unfolds

SAVITHA GAUTAM

In a rare public appearance, A.R.Rahman enthused fans at Landmark, as part of a promotion of the musical, "Bombay Dreams".

Marius and Rahman... putting melodious ideas together.

THERE WAS no pre-publicity for the event except a small printed note at the entrance of Landmark. Would there be a crowd, somebody wondered. But, what a audience it was!

They waited in anticipation, young and old, their eyes fixed on the door. A rare event was about to unfold. After all, it's not everyday that A.R.Rahman makes a public appearance, and signs autographs at that!

Amid tight security, the young composer, clad in a white churidar kurta and blue jacket, walked in, and the ecstatic crowd greeted him. And he reciprocated, with a smile and a wave of his hand.

Rahman was in Landmark to promote "Bombay Dreams", a musical that will open in London's West End on June 19. Accompanied by Marius De Vries, the co producer of the show, who looked absolutely at home in a churidar kurta, Rahman spoke a little about the forthcoming production and signed autographs, with utmost patience.

Though the India media was hardly represented, it was the British press that literally hung on every word he spoke and every move he made. It was their job to present India's Pied Piper to the British audience, before "Bombay Dreams" made its debut.

Some simple were questions thrown to the audience to make the session more interactive (if it wasn't interactive enough!). Check these out: What do the initials A.R. stand for in Rahman's name? Allah Rakha. What is his first original Hindi film score? Rangeela. Who is the international producer of "Bombay Dreams? Well, they knew the answer for that one too. Free CDs were distributed after Rahman signed on them. "A collector's item", somebody remarked.

When one of the enthusiastic fans, a college student, asked him "for a message", Rahman smiled and then replied, "Work hard. That's what matters."

"Bombay Dreams", the much-awaited musical, has been in the making for almost a year now. It all began when Andrew Lloyd Webber, the successful composer of such shows as "Cats", "The Phantom Of The Opera", "Evita", "Jesus Christ Superstar" and "Joseph And The Technicolour Dream Coat", heard the music of "Dil Se". He wanted to work with Rahman.

With Andrew Lloyd Webber.

Rahman says, about 70 per cent of the show will have an original score. As for the rest, he has chosen some of his film work, including

the classic "Chaiyya Chaiyya". Webber has not involved himself with the music, "except that he listens to every tune and has the final say."

Will the show have an India release? Says Rahman very pragmatically, "It depends on how well the music is received in India." Of course, such a huge production means lot of hard work.

The story of "Bombay Dreams" is set against the backdrop of Bollywood, the heart of India's film industry. Based on a novel by Meera Syal, the theme is universal... love. Directing the show will be Steven Pimlott, who has worked with Webber before for "Joseph And The Technicolor Dream Coat". The lyrics are by Don Black, again from the Webber camp. He is best known for the poignant lyrics of "Sunset Boulevard" and "Aspects of Love". Preeya Kalidas and Raza Jaffrey are in the lead while one of India's character actors, Dalip Tahil, is also in the cast.

Raza, who was in Chennai recently, is all excited about his role. He has been making rounds at several studios in Mumbai to see observe the way Bollywood functions. "And yes, there is one dishum dishum sequence too!" he says. "We plan to start work by the first week of April," he says.

It will be a dream come true for Shekar Kapur, the associate producer of the show, who once said, "I have waited for years for the culture of the Bombay film industry to be presented professionally to international audiences... ". The show, put together by Kapur and Webber, is believed to cost approximately four and half million pounds!

London is gearing up for Webber's next production. Posters are plastered on buses and in the underground stations. It has been quite a lacklustre season for West End, with no new show opening in recent times. Most of the current shows have been running for some time or are repeats, like "My Fair Lady" and "Chitti Chitti Bang Bang".

One will have to wait till June to see if Rahman's magic works in the U.K, like it has in India!