Choreographers Vaibhavi Merchant and Mayuri Upadhya are by now familiar with the art of setting the stage on fire. When Merchant isn’t creating trendsetting moves in Hindi films (‘Kajra Re’, ‘Besharam Rang’), she busies herself doing musicals, with two already under her belt—The Merchants of Bollywood (2003) and Taj Express (2012-2013). Bengaluru-based Upadhya, on the other hand, has wowed many by composing a terpsichorean tapestry in two Feroz Abbas Khan-directed productions—Mughal-e-Azam (2016-) and Raunaq & Jassi (2019). So, when Nita Mukesh Ambani and Abbas Khan sought striking movements for the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre’s inaugural production, ‘The Great Indian Musical: Civilization to Nation’, they knew they didn’t need to look beyond these two wonder women.  

Upadhya calls the opportunity “a dream project”, akin to “showing a beautiful candy to a little girl”. She helms six of the nine dances in the nearly 90-minute production and has roped in experts in different dance styles—from renowned kathak dancer Gauri Diwakar to the current rockstar of Bharatanatyam, Parshwanath Upadhye—to guarantee both authenticity and ingenuity. “They open the palette of movements and I pick what I like to make the moving painting,” says Upadhya. Her work started in September 2022 with trips to Delhi, Chennai, Kolkata, Mumbai as well as Bengaluru to audition and finalise on the 140 dancers who are part of her routines.

They include a Bharatanatyam piece on Devi with dancers from Chennai and Bengaluru; a piece on the Kurukshetra war, which makes use of theatrical movement as well as the Mayurbhanj style of chhau and bits of Indian contemporary dance; another that captures “the vibration and mood” of meditative chanting through minimal movement; a Rajasthani folk dance presentation with ghoomar  as the centre piece set to a Mira bhajan; a kathak composition with a Sufi spirit where duff (a percussion instrument) plays a pertinent part; and finally, Vande Mataram, a patriotic piece performed in the Uday Shankar style, the pioneer of Indian modern dance. The challenge, says Upadhya, is to ensure that each piece remains true not just to its form but also to “the intention and context of storytelling”.

‘Civilization to Nation’ marks Upadhya’s third collaboration with Abbas Khan. There’s a sense of familiarity, she says, but also trust. Commending the director’s vision, she says, “A powerful storyteller doesn’t just tell stories, he makes sure [that the emotion comes across and] that it changes your life forever.”
 
Merchant takes on the mantle to open the show with a bang and also end it in that manner. It’s a challenge she relishes. “I have always had an affinity for grandeur and spectacle,” she says. Merchant’s association with the Ambani family goes back a decade, having choreographed multiple events for Reliance Industries as well as the wedding festivities of the Ambani children, Akash and Isha. “I have always had a love for Indian classical music and dance and thanks to her [Nita Mukesh Ambani] I got to put all my ideas to fruition,” says Merchant, who is trained in kathak and Bharatanatyam. “Being a Bharatanatyam dancer herself [Nita M Ambani], her encouragement to all dancers, especially classical, semi-classical and folk dancers, is tremendous.”

‘Civilization to Nation’ begins with an invocation to Lord Ganesha, which sees Merchant deploy 60 dancers in front of a 30-foot tall, five-headed Ganesh idol. Describing the piece as “energetic and robust” with kalaripayattu, chhau, Maharashtrian folk and other styles woven in, Merchant says the choreography captures the spirit of the work of her late grandfather—the respected film choreographer Hiralal. The production concludes with a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi set to Raghupati Raja Ram. Featuring 30 children trained in Bharatanatyam alongside 30 female dancers, the semi-classical fusion performance will see Merchant emphasize on the “mudras and lines”. The show on the inaugural day, she teases, includes a surprise performer in this act.

There’s another reason why Merchant leaps at rare opportunities like ‘Civilization to Nation’. It offers her a “creative release” and a “break from the monotony of being on a film set.” While her approach to choreography for film and stage stays the same, it’s when it comes to execution and staging that changes come in. “In film, you move the camera around to create the dynamic, while on stage performers move to create shapes and form spaces,” she says. “The kind of movements that work on stage may not necessarily work on camera and vice versa.” Furthermore, she values the discipline that theatre demands of performers. “There is no ‘one more’,” she says, “Once you are on, you are on. You need to have the presence of mind to be meticulous and thorough to the point. On camera, it is a lot easier, theatre keeps you on your toes.” 

Garba and raas specialists, the husband-wife duo of Samir and Arsh Tanna, who shared the National Award for best choreography for ‘Dhol Baaje’ [Hum Dil Chuke Sanam ] with Merchant, also enjoy choreographing for stage. When it came to devising a vibrant Gujarati folk dance routine, Nita Mukesh Ambani insisted that the husband-wife duo, known for ‘Nagada Sang Dhol’ [Goliyon ki Raasleela… Ram-Leela] and Gujarati film Hellaro,  be roped in. Abbas Khan, who worked with them in his directorial feature Gandhi, My Father was only happy to oblige. “With stage, there is emphasis on stamina, synchronisation, continuity and perfection,” says Samir Tanna. “You can do a long piece. The longer it is, the more impactful [it is].” Thirty-two dancers from the Tannas’ repertory will be part of the routine with the duo aiming to showcase the rich tradition and variety of Gujarat’s dances.

With the diversity of dances and abundance of talent on display, the choreographers are excited for audiences to witness the show. “In the space of musicals and the country’s cultural forms, this is the baap  (father) of all,” says Upadhya. For Merchant, who has toured across the world it is “as great an introduction to India that can ever be”. 

 Feroz Abbas Khan’s ‘The Great Indian Musical: Civilization to Nation’ will premiere at The Grand Theatre, Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, in Mumbai from April 3 to 23, 2023.