Mughal-E-Azam:The Musical, a product that India can be proud: Director Khan

'Mughal-E-Azam: The Musical' is "a rare piece of work" that boasts of the best of the talent in all different departments, theatre director Feroz Abbas Khan said Saturday as the grand staging of this timeless epic drew a houseful crowd in the third city of its ongoing US tour.The musical, based on K Asif's 1960 iconic film, has held more than 200 shows across six countries, including the UAE, Singapore, Malaysia, and Qatar since its premiere in October 2016.

Moving with seven 53-feet containers and a crew of over 50, the production started its American leg on May 26 from Atlanta, followed by a performance at the prestigious Lincoln Center in New York. "We have finally created a kind of product that India and Indians can be very proud of... When it comes to something like this, which is an ensemble piece, this is perhaps a rare piece of work that's got the best of the talent in all the different departments," director Feroz Abbas Khan told PTI in an interview, after he and the entire team of the stage production received a standing ovation at the historic Lyric Performing Arts Center, a music venue in downtown Baltimore, Maryland.

Playback singer and actor Priyanka Barve, who plays the role of Anarkali in the musical play, said the Indian-American audience has been ''really kind''. ''They are so far away from the country, so I think they value our culture even more than us. Because we live in India, we don't value our culture so much. Here people are so enthusiastic. They want to see the craft coming from India and want to feel proud about their country. People are enthusiastic to see this kind of Broadway,'' Barve said.

Besides the entertainment factor, producer of the musical Deepesh Salgia said most audience members are taking pride in Indian artists' ability to execute such a grand vision.''That brings us the biggest joy. After pride, people are now feeling that this is actually a soft power of India as it shows the cultural aspect of the country. I'm very glad that this show achieved that. And that's all because of the audience's support. ''The biggest pleasure was... when I saw three generations of Indians watching this show together. When they enjoy together and one generation explains to the younger generation, this is what India is about,'' Salgia said.After the maiden American trip, the promoters have plans to take 'Mughal-E-Azam: The Musical' to Europe.