'Abhimanyu, The Fastest Feat': Indian classical dance in Broadway style

Bringing on stage one of the most celebrated Indian classical dance forms - Kathak collaborating with western as well as Bollywood style - Kingdom of Dreams (KOD) has launched its new musical titled "Abhimanyu, The Fastest Feat".

Produced by AMS Events, "Abhimanyu, The Fastest Feat" -- a dancing extravaganza that beautifully represents Indian dance forms in Broadway style -- was launched at KOD, a destination for leisure and live entertainment, here on Wednesday.

With a compilation of 12 songs set to a magical and original score sung by Bollywood singers like Shankar Mahadevan, Daler Mehndi, Udit Narayan and Javed Ali, among others, Abhimanyu's story unfolds as a narrative woven into a dazzling dance spectacle on stage, against the backdrop of Rajasthan.

"Abhimanyu, The Fastest Feat", which features Pandit Sandeep Mahavir enacting the title role, is a heartwarming journey of an Indian classical dancer, Abhimanyu, who is taken to the US by an international Broadway dancer, talks about his dreams, ambitions, struggles, failure and final redemption.

"I've done a lot of concerts around the world. 'Abhimanyu' is an eight-year-old dream of mine. I had to wait for a very long time to fulfill this dream. This show proves that Indian art can also be scripted and presented on Broadway lines. This trend of musical shows is getting recognition in India," Mahavir said at the launch.

Apart from him, "Abhimanyu, The Fastest Feat" also features international as well as Indian artists like Mughda Mane, Emma Yearsley, Stephanie Mac Donald, Renu Pandey, Rajesh Pandey, Ketki Raut, Akbar Ali and Purshottam.

Set up with the finite use of props, colourful and glitzy costumes, and scintillating special effects in the Nautanki Mahal here, the musical gives a clear and idealistic view of Indian cultural and classical dance forms which are being neglected on Indian TV and Hindi films.

The music for "Abhimanyu, The Fastest Feat", which has been given by Deepak Pandit and Sandeep Mahavir, blends with every segment and gives an eye-opening view of India's various festivals like Holi and Ganesh Chaturthi.

Another segment of the musical is the unique representation of Indian epic "Ramayana" using western dance forms.

"Abhimanyu, The Fastest Feat", which is KOD's third musical after the hugely successful "Zangoora, The Gypsy Prince" and "Jhumroo", is open for the public from Thursday onwards.

The tickets of the shows are available on the venue's official website along with Box Office and Book My Show websites.