Mumbai– Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur has taken a nostalgic stroll down memory lane, sharing a rare and cherished moment from the early days of Bombay Dreams, when two musical giants—A.R. Rahman and Andrew Lloyd Webber—came together to create magic on the same piano.
Posting on Instagram, Kapur shared a throwback photo of himself with Rahman and Webber during the global announcement of Bombay Dreams, the first Bollywood-inspired musical to make it to London’s West End and later Broadway. The moment, captured at a party at Mumbai’s iconic Taj Mahal Hotel, symbolizes a landmark in East-meets-West artistic collaboration.
“Life has been one huge adventure,” Kapur wrote in his caption. “But how does adventure happen unless you actively open yourself to the adventure of life? And to open yourself to adventure, you have to fight the greatest human failing of all—the addiction to certainty. The addiction to control.”
Kapur revealed that Bombay Dreams was born from a casual lunchtime conversation with Andrew Lloyd Webber—just a spontaneous remark that sparked what would become a groundbreaking theatrical production. That single moment of serendipity led to a collaboration that saw Rahman and Webber composing together in real time, creating music on the fly as they sat side-by-side at the piano.
“Bombay Dreams was born of one chance lunchtime remark by me to Andrew Lloyd Webber,” Kapur wrote. “Out of that came this photo, taken at the world announcement of the project—at a party in Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Hotel—where A.R. Rahman and Andrew Lloyd Webber played together on the same piano, creating amazing music on the go. One chance remark led to the first ‘Bollywood’ musical ever on London’s West End and later Broadway. One chance remark!”
Bombay Dreams premiered in London in 2002 with music by A.R. Rahman, lyrics by Don Black, and a book by Meera Syal and Thomas Meehan. Produced by Webber, the musical ran successfully for two years in the West End before opening on Broadway in 2004, introducing international audiences to the grandeur and rhythm of Bollywood.
Kapur’s post serves as a reminder of the power of spontaneity—and how a simple idea, shared at the right time, can spark something unforgettable. (Source: IANS)
