DANCE REVIEW: ONE MAN BOLLYWOOD SHOW
Nakul Dev Mahajan Single-Handedly Bring Bollywood to L.A.
Los Angeles, California –- Not only does Nakul Dev Mahajan think he can dance, he thinks he is a superstar of dance. In fact, Mahajan is so convinced of his dancing talent, he set out to carry a show all by himself.
Well, not quite all by himself. Mahajan did have some help, and on January 31st, more than 500 people filled the seats at the Wadsworth Theater in West L.A. to watch his One-Man Bollywood Show.
When the lights dimmed and the music blared, Mahajan was exactly where he always wanted to be — solo on the stage, sweat glittering of his bare head as the spotlight tried to keep up with his intense dance moves that combined a diverse repertoire of Indian dance styles, including Kathak, Bharat Natyam, Bhangra, and Folk. Add in a dash of Hip-Hop, a splash of Jazz, a touch of Latin, and a flavor of Ballroom, and it became clear how so many other dancers looked so great on NBC’s recent dancing reality television shows.
Known as “Hollywood’s Favorite Bollywood Choreographer,” Mahajan took center stage in what was essentially an autobiographical sketch. The show came on the heels of his choreographed work on Superstars of Dance and So You Think You Can Dance? –- shows highlighting Mahajan’s unique style of Indian dance without anyone really seeing the mastermind of the fused moves.
Last weekend at the Wadsworth was the ideal setting for Mahajan to display the dancing bug caught in his feet…and his hips…and his arms…and his shoulders…and his heck…and his head.
As Mahajan intermittently took breaks from toying with the spotlight rigger to converse with the audience, a la Robert Wagner in Love Letters, the curtains would cue him to walk off the stage completely and hand the stage over to Rita Sehmi and Sagar Patel, who relived Mahajan’s childhood dreams and aspirations.
Cast as the childhood version of Mahajan, the 12-year-old Patel explored what inspired the choreographer to explore his dancing ambitions and the struggle he had with his parents, relatives, and friends.
Throughout the show, the Mahajan of yesterday and today celebrated a love of life through dance. Tales abound about his struggles fitting in at school and the societal pressures of him to pursue more mainstream interests, such as a career in medicine. All the while, Mahajan sometimes struggled to gain acceptance with his own mother, who was always telling him not to dance in his bedroom or listen to music so loudly.
Along the journey, we find out about the inspiration he found from Paula Abdul, his passion for Bollywood cinema, and a growing bond with his mother that eventually led to Mahajan opening a dance studio to teach hundreds upon hundreds of children to discover their artistic talents.
Throughout the story, two things were made clear: Mahajan was inspired by anyone who said he could not succeed as a dancer, and he is, indeed, an amazing dancer.
If his show meant anything, it introduced us to an adorable child actor in Patel. While the audience danced along in the aisles when Mahajan was on stage, they could not help but root for Patel, whose mannerisms, confidence, flair, composure, and poise were far superior than any 12-year-old should have in a stage production.
Conversely, Mahajan’s frank discussions, filled with corny jokes only admired by those who know him, appeared to be directed at everyone who did not believe in his talents. With his initial autobiographical piece already out of the way, Mahajan now has something to work with for future productions -– witty story-telling, awesome dance moves, an eye for stage talent, a steady fan-base, and a career ready to go to the next level.
With critically-acclaimed novelist Sonia Singh writing the script, Shirish Dayal (Indian Judge for Superstars of Dance) acting as co-artistic director, Mahajan choreographing more than 90 percent of the show (guest choreographers Amrapali Ambegaokar, Varun Gurunath, Shilpa Gopinath, and Sangita Sanyal assisted with the rest), One-Man Bollywood Show was the perfect setting for Hollywood’s Favorite Bollywood Dancer to silence his critics and explore the many facets of Indian dance in one fell swoop.
With growing interest in his dance moves and Bollywood in general, it is only a matter of time before the show becomes too big for just one man who calls himself NDM.
