POLE POSITION
WWhen the world-renowned Cirque du Soleil performing arts troupe makes its debut in India on November 14, Rajesh Mudki will be the only Indian among the 30 performers. A mallakhamb (a traditional Indian form of gymnastics) expert, Mudki appears in a performance that incorporates the acrobatic art for the troupe’s new production, Bazzar, which makes its world premier in Mumbai.
Having appeared in Dhoom 3 and various stage and TV shows, Mudki was over the moon when he received an invitation to audition from the Montrealbased company while performing in London last December. He’d seen Cirque du Soleil’s jaw-dropping acrobatics firsthand in 2006 while he was rehearsing with the Terence Lewis Contemporary Dance Company. “I was completely amazed,” he says. After clearing the audition, Mudki travelled to Montreal to work with the artists under the Big Top, the massive performance space that will also be built in India to give audiences an immersive experience. “I loved the way they [CDQ] think about every detail of a scene,” says Mudki, who worked seven hours a day his first month with the company and longer as the choreography came together. “They have never stopped any artist from showing their input on the show,” he says.
Working with acrobatic performance designer Ben Potvin and trainer Simon Fortin, Mudki features in an act that combines dance with the “strong spiritual persona” of mallakhamb. “It’s a classic act with a modern touch. It helps me push the boundaries of my art and raise awareness around this wonderful discipline,” he says.
Bazzar is a golden opportunity for Mudki to put his institution, Sane Guruji Fitness School in Santa Cruz, a suburb in Mumbai, on the world map. It was his elder sister, Bhagwati, who introduced him to mallakhamb at the age of six
Mallakhamb artist Rajesh Mudki appears in Cirque du Soleil’s Bazzar, which premiers in Mumbai on November 14
to fulfil their father’s desire that his son take up a sport. “Since then, I have never looked back,” says Mudki, who was awarded the Maharashtra state government’s Shiv Chhatrapati Award for best player in 2007. Apart from mallakhamb, he is also well-versed in yoga, aerial rope, gymnastics and acrobatics.
After Bazzar’s Mumbai run, Mudki will travel with the show to Delhi late December where it will run until January 6. But Mudki is looking forward to demonstrating his performing art to audiences abroad. “Every new creation at Cirque du Soleil has a long life,” he says. “I am expecting to be on tour for a long time!”