Interview: Feroz Abbas Khan’s Mughal-e-Azam Heads To US; ‘India’s Syncretic Culture’ Is Its Soul

Director Feroz Abbas Khan’s magnum opus Mughal-e-Azam: The Musical will travel to 13 cities across North America. Iconic venues like New York’s legendary Lincoln Centre for the performing Arts will stage the show which is sure to run into a full house. Touted as India’s most expensive theatre production, the show will kick off on 26th of this month in Atlanta. We spoke to the director Feroz Abbas Khan and Deepesh Salgia, Creative and Strategic Vision for Mughal-e-Azam regarding the same.

“Keeping Mughal-e-Azam relevant for the audience has been a continuous process at Shapoorji Pallonji,” says Salgia, adding: “In 2004, we released the film in cinema halls the world over after undertaking the restoration and full colorization. We later released the book version of the film, made multiple documentaries on its making, etc.”

Salgia looks back at this collaboration with great fondness. “The biggest achievement of partnership has been that it has brought the missing element to Indian theatre – Scale. The term ‘magnum opus’ will no more be the monopoly of cinema. With Mughal-e-Azam knocking on the doors on Broadway, we see this partnership as well as Indian theatre entering a new phase,” he says.

INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR FEROZ ABBAS KHAN

1. How do you see this incredible journey so far?
   As you say, it has been incredible. A dream that once seemed daunting has not only come to life but is thriving. ‘Mughal-e-Azam: The Musical’ is now in its 19th season, and we have staged over 200 performances across six Asian countries and are now taking it to the US. A 13-city tour begins with Atlanta on Friday, May 26th, and we will even perform at the iconic Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York where over 5 million visitors come annually to experience curated cultural events. When I look back, I feel, what has kept us going for so long is the love that we have received in India and across the world. This production has become bigger than us and now it belongs to not just us but the audiences.
2. Has this association changed you as a director?
   This experience has humbled me. Even though, as a director, I have done my best to envision every detail of ‘Mughal-E-Azam: The Musical,’ it has acquired a life of its own. I have learnt that one cannot ever predict how far a story will travel and how much love and appreciation it will garner. When I first decided to adapt K Asif’s monumental epic, I really had no idea if it was going to be possible to translate the film’s splendour and scale on stage. But then Shapoorji Pallonji Group, the original producers of ‘Mughal-E-Azam’ came on board and one thing led to another. There is something magical about this journey and even though I began this story, it has grown beyond me.
3. What makes this play timeless?
   The love story at its core and K Asif’s sense of grandeur and the majesty of his characters that we have tried to do justice to. There is also the lyrical writing inspired by the original script, the music, the choreography, and the energy of a live performance that can match the intricacy of any Broadway musical and an element of magic that I cannot put a finger on. This production is also a celebration of India’s syncretic culture, and the beauty of its arts, crafts, and architecture and fortunately the audience has embraced it joyfully and wholeheartedly.
4. What are you looking forward to on this tour to the US?
   Well, I have traveled to the US earlier too with many productions but this as I mentioned before, is a 13-city tour and is the most special because, for the first time, we are showcasing a Broadway-style musical of this scale across multiple time zones and geographies. I am looking forward to seeing how the diverse audience across the length and breadth of America and also Toronto in Canada will respond to this story. Performing at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York will also be a dream come true for all of us.