Behind the Curtain of Bharati with Bhavna and Rahul
MyBindi.com's Ashna Singh interviews the narrator and main female lead of Bharati, the Wonder that is India! Bharati is a LIVE musical performance and runs from Oct. 26 - Nov. 6, 2011 at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts.
Experience a journey to India in a single evening. The Sony Centre for the Performing Arts and David Mirvish present the most highly anticipated South Asian production of the year, Bharati, the Wonder that is India. This musical extravaganza encompasses the essence of India through its song and dance, showing cultural diversities and peculiarities in a very entertaining, light-hearted and humourous way.
Bharati is a musical masala on stage from October 26 – November 6, 2011. This live show is a spectacular presentation of the dance, music, fashion, and folk traditions of India boasting a company of 70 dancers, actors, singers, acrobats, and musicians in a powerful story of love and homecoming.
Bharati is narrated by Rahul Vohra, an actor who has appeared in several films internationally but widely recognized for his roles in popular films like “Swades” and “Monsoon Wedding”. Rahul has played multiple roles in the field of culture from directing and producing various international festivals of performing arts to starring in and hosting various film and television projects. The title character, Bharati, is played by Bhavna Pani, a dancer, model and actor known for her roles in “Dil Vil Pyar Vyar”, “Yuvaraja”, and “Tere Liye”.
MyBindi’s Ashna Singh speaks with Rahul and Bhavna in an exclusive interview to get the side scoop on Bharati.
Bhavna Pani
Title Character in Bharati
What led you to pursue a career in dance?
I have been dancing even before I learnt to walk. My parents decided to send me to a dance school at the age of six and I began performing in stage shows as baby Lord Krishna, since I was the youngest in my class. But I wasn’t sure that I wanted to take up dancing as my career until I was in my early teens.
How has your training in Odissi Classical dance helped you with the choreography in Bharati?
A. Training in classical dance, whether it is Indian or Western Ballet, is the foundation of training for any dancer. Once you have classical dance training, it becomes very easy to pick up other dance styles. In Bharati, I have to perform various dance styles like Indian folk, Indian classical, Bollywood etc. And - I feel that my training in Odissi and Kathak has really helped me in portraying the role of Bharati.
What were some of the challenges you faced playing the Title Character in Bharati?
The biggest challenge for me is dealing with the physical exhaustion. All the dances are packed with high impact energy and I have very quick and elaborate costume changes between each song. From the time the show begins, ‘till it ends… I don’t have even one moment to rest and reenergize. So, developing my stamina has been a challenge.
And, apart from that, the other challenge is to not let my performance become mechanical. After having performed over 500 shows, there is a possibility that sometimes the artist slips into monotony and I would never let that happen. So I have to find new ways to keep challenging myself in order to treat every show as if it’s my first performance.
Rahul Vohra
Narrator in Bharati
How is dancing for stage productions different from films? Which do you prefer and why?
One of India’s greatest contributions to World Aesthetics has been the theory of the Rasa, the essence of emotion that exists only when it is shared - between the actor and the spectator, between the singer and the musician and between the performer and the divine. Only a live stage performance permits the existence of Rasa in its purest sense and therefore having started out in theatre, I would naturally prefer theatre with its instant contact.
But then Cinema, with its larger-than-life depiction of human realities, is a dream realm to work in as well, affording many artifices to enhance a performance and the expression of an idea and I know very few actors (including myself) who are not seduced by its seemingly limitless possibilities.
What were some of the challenges you faced playing the Narrator in Bharati?
To bring all my schizophrenic existences as a Theatre performer, a Director, a Bollywood actor and an informed lover of Aesthetics, Indian and from across the world, onto a single platform and play the Narrator, acting what he is narrating!
To both Bhavna and Rahul:
What sort of rituals/customs/traditions do you do to prepare before a performance?
Bhavna - There are no religious customs or rituals followed by me before a show. I do my own make up so I start getting ready 2 hours before the show. But before I begin, I do 30 mins of yoga and meditation in my room as I need to disconnect from the chaos of the backstage and get into a personal space. Then, 30 mins prior to the show I say a quick prayer and warm up like any other athlete does before his/her race. But I have to admit - although I have done over 500 shows of Bharati, even today, I have knots of nervousness and butterflies in my stomach when I am about to step onto the stage for my first entry.
Rahul - I lock myself into my Green room an hour before the show, have a coffee, a glass of juice, a shower and just get my thoughts together and also ‘sense’ the audience in the Hall. In the donning of my costume, I assume my character that I have to play out over the next couple of hours. I then bow before my travelling deities from all religions and seek their blessings before leaving the illusion to enter into the reality of a live performance.
How did you get involved with Bharati?
Bhavna - I have been playing the role of Bharati right from the very 1st show. I have been involved with this show since its inception. In 2005, our producer Mr.Gashash Deshe along with Sahara India Pariwar, launched a nationwide audition for casting of Bharati. And - I was chosen after 7-8 auditions, which went on for almost a month. I was made to dance to different styles of choreographies and was on probation for a month before I was offered to sign the final contract.
It was truly a dream come true but it was a very difficult auditioning phase. I am just happy that my insane love for dance got me through it. According to the production, there were almost 6000 contenders for the role of Bharati (some of them even known Bollywood actresses and famous Indian pop stars).
Rahul – I got involved with Bharti quite by chance actually – since the time they needed a French speaking Indian Actor to perform for the World Premiere in Paris. Therefore, I have been part of the troupe since the launch of the show. The rest, as they say is destiny. We have now performed Bharati nearly six hundred times and close to two million people have watched it live.
The last big and successful South Asian production at the Sony Centre for Performing Arts was the Merchants of Bollywood. What can audience members expect from Bharati?
Bhavna - Bharati is the complete show about India. We have tried to depict India (‘Bharat’ is the word for India in Hindi) through this character of Bharati. We try to encompass the essence of India through its music, dance, showing cultural diversities and peculiarities in a very entertaining, light-hearted and humorous way. I agree - Bollywood is an integral part of India so you will also see elements of it in our show.
Rahul - In one word, Bharati is a BIG smile- that’s what the public leaves with when they see our show. A smile in their hearts, a glow in their soul.
In a very simple way Bharati talks of the enormous human drama and of emotions that are universal and common to any culture - love, lust, anguish of separation and then finally, union - in a light hearted, sometimes wittily funny and candidly informative way, without any pretentions. In short, an accessible way to try to unlock the mysteries of the cornucopia of cultures, philosophies, traditions, rites, rituals and humour that is India through a stylised musical, choreographic and dramatic presentation. A Story can be written, a Song can be recorded, and a Dance filmed but unless it is performed “LIVE” the excitement of a ‘living” emotion is absent and Bharati fulfills that need in a holistic manner.
Why should individuals of all cultural backgrounds, and not just South Asians, see Bharati?
Bhavna - Bharati has been hugely successful in countries like France, Belgium, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Italy etc. And these countries do not have a very large South Asian community. But this show is loved by all especially by non-Indians. It allows you to discover India and a lot of people have confessed that they would love to visit our country after watching this show. So, in my opinion, this show has been very intelligently constructed to cater to all kinds of audiences irrespective of age and nationalities.
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