Rajniesh Duggal to star in the Bajirao Mastani musical
Apart from starring in severalBollywood films including 1920 (2008) Phirr (2011), Dangerous Ishq (2012) and Wajah Tum Ho (2016), Rajniesh Duggal has also starred in TV shows including Aarambh and Shrimad Bhagwat Mahapuran. Now the actor is excited to be starring in a musical inspired by Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Bajirao Mastani (2015). The live musical will be choreographed by legendary Pandit Birju Maharaj, “which was one of the reasons” why he chose the project. After dabbling in films, television and web shows, Rajniesh says that he was looking for more, and he is glad to have found this project. He shares, “I wanted to be part of a project that interacts with a live audience and this was interesting. Being mentored by Panditji, working with Mr Bhansali’s music, and doing a dance show was exciting. It is a mix of theatre and dance, and is pure entertainment. There is a lot for me to learn from this, and though I have a film shoot going on simultaneously, the hard work is worth is. This is a great opportunity for me. The storyline is inspired from the film but the treatment in certain places is different.” The play, which has seven songs from Bajirao Mastani and some new ones, will be performed in Delhi this month, and later, they will stage it in Mumbai, Pune, Dubai and London.
While the other actors will be performing Kathak, Duggal is learning Chhau, which combines martial arts and dance. “At first, I thought it was really tough and it is, but I am getting used to it. We have been rehearsing and I have been practising the dance steps regularly. In fact, I am told to do the exercises whenever I get free time to make my muscles used to certain movements,” he says.