We all love Bollywood. Okay, maybe it’s just me and the one billion plus Indians (also count other South Asians whose staple are Hindi films).

Late last month, in celebration of the Hindu’s Diwali (Festival of Light), Bollywood came to Bangkok. To be treated with Hindi films like box office hits Om Shanti Om, Luck By Chance, Kaminey, Rab Ne Bana De Jodi, Jodhaa Akbhar and Rock On was like eating chocolates everyday.

But chocolates were not enough, I wanted ice cream. I got so lucky I had my ice cream called The Merchants of Bollywood, a dance musical that brought the flesh out of Hindi films.

The Merchants of Bollywood is the first authentic Indian dance and music spectacular from Mumbai, which brings to life the grandeur and extravagance of Bollywood dance and music—with 1,200 costume changes and 2,500 pieces of Indian jewellery for a cast of 53 as well as 40 years of Bollywood history wrapped in 90 minutes of dizzying colours and high-octane energy.

The story revolves around Shantilal Merchant (Arif Zakaria), a renowned choreographer in Bollywood’s golden era and his granddaughter, Ayesha (Carol Furtado), an equally talented dancer trained in Indian classical dance by his grandfather.

The conflict lies in the central characters’ vision of what films should give to the audiences. Shantilal believes that cinema could heal wounds in a country ruled by foreign invaders and partitioned after the colonisers left around 60 years ago. Ayesha thinks that films should change lives and help people escape.

Ayesha’s world is the Bollywood we know today—commercial and lawless— and dances and songs are used as a form of escapism and entertainment.

The story opened in the deserts of Rajasthan. The Merchant family has a tradition of upholding the Kathak dance, the dance of the gods. Shantilal has left Bollywood and was hoping that his granddaughter will help him continue the tradition. But the headstrong Ayesha had Bollywood on her mind—to be the best choreographer in her generation.

From the images of the grandeur of Rajasthan, the story followed Ayesha in her Bollywood conquest. She is known in the glitzy world of Mumbai as the girl with the Midas touch. She can transform a drab film into a box office hit using her magic in choreography.

With Oscar-winner AR Rahman’s musical arrangement, the dance numbers in the musical were nothing but mesmerising. The dancers’ fluid movements and vibrant energy made everyone in the crowd stomp their feet, sway their shoulders, clap their hands and occasionally shout to ask for more during the entire duration of the show. The all-Indian cast were fabulous with their energy and vibes—just like countless Bollywood productions I’ve seen so far.

The story was weaved so that songs and music from decades ago blend with the disco of the ‘70s and the hip-hop of the present generation. As what Shruti Merchant, the musical’s assistant choreographer, said “that’s what Bollywood is all about— it has a masala!”

The musical’s plot, by the way, is based on Shruti’s sister Vaibhavi’s life as the greatgranddaughter of a master of classical Kathak dance who became famous among Bollywood fans as ‘the Princess of Romance’.

Vaibhavi won her first national award for choreographing the dance Dhole Baaje in the movie Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. She also cheorographed the song O Ri Chhori in the Oscar-nominated movie Lagaan and she continued to direct elegant stylised dances for critically acclaimed movies like Kubh Na Kaho, Na Tum Jano Na Hum and Devdas, which starred Bollywood superstars Sharukh Khan and Aiswarya Rai.

The story of the Merchants caught the interest of Australian director Toby Gough when he was scouting for an idea in Mumbai. When he sat with Vaibhavi Merchant, it only took him 20 minutes to decide that this was the story he wanted the world to know about Bollywood. He immediately asked the choreographer to use her family’s story and what followed were four years (and counting) of groundbreaking performances in Australia, Europe, China, Malaysia and Thailand.

“It’s an Australian idea, perhaps, but the whole production is from Mumbai,” Toby reasoned.

“The Bollywood brand is now known throughout the world through Bollywood films… There’s a demand from audiences around the world to see such a show.”

But even in countries where Bollywood is unheard of, the show proved to be a success.

When The Merchants of Bollywood was shown in China, the audiences had little or no idea about the highly melodramic Hindi films and the long and winding plot where the hero and the heroine always end up dancing and singing. And guess what? The Chinese have asked for a rerun of The Merchants of Bollywood.

“The show is a perfect package for a person who knows anything or knows nothing about Bollywood,” Shruti Merchant enthused.

What is special about the show is the universality of the Indian dance—whether it’s a dance depicting religious stories or the Western-influenced hip-hop. Bollywood too has evolved into an urban, chic world but it is still heavily-influenced by traditions that audiences still want to see. Asia has been bombarded by Western musicals in the past that have glorified Broadway and West End. Now it’s the time for the East to go West.

Back at the musical, the show ended (happily of course) with the song It’s The Time To Disco (from the movie Kal Ho Naa Ho). The audience—a nice mix of Indians, Westerners, Thais and Asians—who were shouting and clapping danced with the beat for almost 10 minutes more. And that’s what I call a masala ice cream. (By Jofelle P. Tesorio in Bangkok/ Asia News Network)