The Merchants of Bollywood spectacular opens at The Palladium Dubai

A high energy show with an Australian producer, a Scottish director and an Indian cast of 40 takes to the stage of The Palladium Dubai Media City this week.

An extravagant mix of musical theatre and touching love story, The Merchants of Bollywood is based on Ayesha Merchant, the granddaughter of Shantilal Merchant, a lauded choreographer from the Hindi film industry’s golden era, and runs at The Palladium from 21-23 January.

You don’t have to be fan of Bollywood movies to enjoy the show which has international appeal, says Australian producer Mark Brady. “The show is for all to enjoy as it transcends cultures and time. It is a show for the young at heart.

“There’s a great interest in India globally and Dubai has a huge Indian population,” Brady said. “That saying, we’ve performed in many non-English speaking countries that have never heard of Bollywood before and the response is just overwhelming. With Dubai being so close to India, the producers feel it is the perfect show for the people of Dubai.”

The story centres on Ayesha who was taught Indian classical dance by Shantilal. Enticed by the romance of Bollywood she dreams of making her name in the film world. She abandons home for the film industry but despite fame and fortune the emotional pull of her ailing grandfather draws her home and into the arms of childhood sweetheart Uday.

The story unfolds in high-energy dance routines by a cast of 40 performers with 1600 costume changes and over 3000 pieces of jewellery. The music is by Oscar-winning composer A.R. Rahman, responsible for the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack which won Golden Globe, Bafta and Academy Awards.

Tickets are available from the box office at the Palladium, www.boxofficeme.com, www.timeouttickets.com or www.palladiumdubai.com and select Spinney’s video outlets.

On 22 and 23 January the matinee performance doors open at 2.30 pm and the show starts at 3.30 pm. The 21, 22 and 23r January evening performance doors open at 7.30 pm and the show starts at 8.30 pm, Ticket prices for the matinee show are AED150 and AED300. Evening shows are AED450 for VVIP, AED350 VIP, AED350 regular stalls and AED150 for standard seating.

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The Merchants of Bollywood is a show “for the young at heart,” says producer Mark Brady.

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High-energy dance routines and a cast of 40 – The Merchants of Bollywood opens at The Palladium on Thursday, 21 January.