Feroz Abbas Khan on Mughal-e-Azam: The biggest superstars can be in your pocket; but you cannot do that to theatre

Broadway-style musical Mughal-e-Azam based on the 1960 Bollywood namesake film directed by K. Asif will pull the curtains up once again after a hiatus of three years. Director Feroz Abbas Khan who directed the musical says that it was the actors who brought the drama back to the stage. “They have dropped everything and made a lot of surprises. Some of them have families and responsibilities, yet they put everything aside and came for the show. It is very heartening and moving. Everybody has been stressed financially, yet they put in those efforts. We thought if they are ready to do it then we need to make this happen,” Khan shares.

While there’s conversation and chatter, that audience isn’t lining up to watch the biggest stars in the theatre, Khan is certain that live shows remain unfazed. “I think you will see a huge shift in audience towards the live performances. Human beings want to see human beings. Today the biggest superstars can be in your pocket. But you cannot do that to theatre; you cannot put theatre into your pocket. There’s oversaturation in terms of content on digital, they are getting exhausted. But there’s only one show of a play, at one appointed time on an appointed day,” the playwright explains.

Currently, he is overwhelmed with the kind of response he is getting for the show from the audience, with most of his shows being housefuls. However, the one compliment that Khan is embracing the most is from Asif’s daughter. “His family is extremely delighted with what we have done. His daughter said, ‘If my father was alive, he would have given you a big hug’. That was endearing,” he ends.

Catch it live

What: Mughal-e-Azam- The Musical

When: 21 October to 30 October

Where: Bal Gandharva Rang Mandir, Bandra West,

Time: 8pm onwards

Fee: ₹500 onwards