Hindustan Times (Lucknow) - Hindustan Times (Lucknow) - Live
A childhood wish has got fulfilled in this musical
Who doesn’t know how the genie came out of the magic lamp and fulfilled the wishes of the urchin Aladdin? For Delhi-based actor Taaruk Raina, it was almost as if a genie fulfilled his wish — he’s playing Aladdin, a character he has “loved” all his life, in a major stage musical that has been running in the Capital for about a month now.
“Aladdin is my all-time favourite character,” says the 23-year-old actor. “I remember that I used to watch the cartoon, and look at the carpet in my house and literally think, ‘Why can’t the carpet in my house fly as well?’ I used to be that frustrated,” he laughs.
“So, when I got an e-mail, saying that I was cast as Aladdin, my whole life flashed in front of my eyes. I never imagined that I’d play a character that I’ve loved throughout my life,” adds the actor, who had attended a few workshops related to Aladdin before being cast as the lead.
Taaruk feels that being a fan of the folk tale character — further popularised globally by the 1992 Disney movie and the Broadway musical — helped him perform the role better. “If you love something,” he says, “then you’ll only do it better. The fact that he’s my favourite character motivated me to play it even better. I stay true to that feeling, and I guess that reflects [in what I do] when I’m on stage.”
However, Taaruk isn’t the only Aladdin in this musical; he shares the title role with another actor, Siddharth Menon. They play the role in rotation. “The reason for having two Aladdins is very simple. It’s a very physically demanding role,” says Taaruk. “It’s a three-hour musical, and Aladdin is present all through those three hours. There are about 10-11 songs that the character sings, so it gets physically very taxing, and a bit difficult to keep doing it on show after show.”
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal has seen the musical, and Taaruk feels “incredibly honoured” that “he took time out from his busy schedule” to watch it. “It means so much, to people like us, and it only helped in spreading the word about the musical,” he says.
Taaruk aspires to be in the movies, and he feels that being on stage has prepared him to be a “good” film actor. “I got a film offer after the first show. Of course, it feels nice, but right now, Aladdin is the only thing on my plate,” he says.