Tech-driven musical Rajadhiraja staged at NMCC brings mythology alive for new-age audiences

From king of kings
| Photo Credit: Courtesy: NMACC

the curtain may have fallen King of the kings:love life leelaBut the experience lingers for a long time. The concert was conceived with as much grandeur as its venue – the Grand Theatre at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre in Mumbai. The 2,000 seats on three levels and 18 special boxes were nearly full during the show’s 20-day run. Inspired by Moscow’s iconic Bolshoi Theatre, this incredibly huge auditorium at NMACC is the only one of its kind in the country, hosting huge Indian and international performances.

The life of Krishna has been presented countless times, but king of kingsWith its seamless blend of traditional and contemporary sensibilities, it stirred the imagination. The Grand Theatre’s integrated Dolby Atmos and programmable lighting systems and the music’s VFX brought an ancient tale alive for a new-age audience.

As the story moves through Mathura, Dwarka, Gokul, Vrindavan and Mewar, popular production designer Omung Kumar transported the audience to these cities associated with Krishna. While designer Neeta Lulla, who styled many of the actors, recreated the era with her costumes. Though the costumes were very glitzy, they made it even more spectacular. king of kings A visual spectacle.

There wasn’t a single moment during the 120 minutes of the musical when the artistes kept the audience engaged with their entries and exits on stage. However, more than the artistes, the Sutradhars, which included a cute little girl, stole the show. Their interactive narration not only took the performance forward but also helped the audience understand the connection between the two incarnations of Vishnu, which was highlighted by the brilliant lyricist and screenwriter Prasoon Joshi. The script also told many in the audience about the origin of Shrinathji and how Krishna got the name Ranchhoddas, the taking of Shrinathji’s idol from Mathura to Mewar, the beginning of Vallabhacharya’s Pushti Marg and the construction of Dwarka.

The production was supported by excellent music and dance choreography | Photo Credit: Courtesy: NMACC

since king of kings It was a mega musical, with 20 songs. Composers Sachin-Jigar drew inspiration from western symphonies, Haveli music, folk music, semi-classical styles and film music. Most of the songs were accompanied by excellent choreography by Bertwin Ravi D’Souza and Shampa Gopikrishna (daughter of legendary Kathak dancer Gopikrishna). The duo presented a great blend of Kathak, contemporary and folk dances.

Director Shruti Sharma and executive producer Bhoomi Nathwani have shown that when mythology meets technology, you can relive a bygone era.