BBC News | SOUTH ASIA | Lloyd Webber's Bollywood dream

BBC News Online: World: South Asia

Tuesday, 7 March, 2000, 15:06 GMT

Lloyd Webber's Bollywood dream

AR Reham, Shekhar Kapur and Andrew Lloyd Webber

British composer Andrew Lloyd Webber has announced plans to team up with two of the best known names in the Indian film industry for his next musical extravaganza.

The musical, Bombay Dreams, is to be produced in collaboration with film director Shekhar Kapur, whose recent film Elizabeth earned him critical acclaim in the West.

I think the Bollywood culture has a lot to offer international audiences
Lord Lloyd-Webber

It will also feature top Bollywood composer, AR Rehman, who will be writing the score for the production which is likely to open in London's West End.

"This is the first time I have invited another composer to write a musical for the stage," Lord Lloyd-Webber said.

"I am excited to be able to explore this possibility with Rehman," he said.

Exporting Bollywood

The composer said his aim was to bring the colour and pizzazz of Bollywood to the West.

"I have been watching Indian films for some time and I think the Bollywood culture has a lot to offer international audiences," he said.

Lord Lloyd-Webber, who composed the hit musicals Cats and Phantom of the Opera, said he was inspired after seeing an Indian film which featured a song and dance sequence on the roof of a speeding train.

Music for the film, Dil Se (From the Heart) was composed by AR Rehman.

It made him decide to introduce Mr Rehman to international musical theatre.

"He's the composer who stands out for me, because I think his songs are so original and yet they have a very universal quality," he said.

The central plot of Bombay Dreams will revolve around a young Indian man who comes to Bombay dreaming of a career in the film industry.

Lord Lloyd-Webber said the musical would contain all the flavour of India's tinsel town and financial capital.

"It will be an extension of Indian culture presented in English to a wider audience ...We have to laugh with the show and not at it," he said.

Related to this story:
Sequel planned for Bollywood hit (02 Dec 99 | South Asia)
Lloyd Webber buys London theatres (09 Jan 00 | UK)
Bollywood star tops the poll (01 Jul 99 | Entertainment)
Lloyd Webber's big screen plans (02 Jul 99 | Entertainment)
Bollywood: A class act to follow (30 Jan 99 | Entertainment)
Phantom's box office record (13 Dec 99 | Entertainment)

Internet links: Andrew Lloyd Webber web site | Planet Bollywood | Bollywood World |
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites