Five years after he played Shah Jahan in Akbar Khan’s movie, Taj Mahal - An Eternal Love Story, Kabir Bedi essays the Mughal emperor again on stage. Lada Pada, the artistic director of Canada-based Sampradaya Dance Creations has created a play, Taj, which, co-stars Kabir as Shah Jahan and Lisa Ray as Jahaan Aara.
The play earned tremendous acclaim when it ran from June 10 to 12 at Harbourfront Centre’s Fleck Dance Theater as part of Luminato, Toronto Festival of Arts and Creativity.
Kabir says, “Theatre has always been a labour of love for me. So I was delighted to play Shah Jahan.” Interestingly, Kabir’s association with Shah Jahan goes back 20 years when the theater production house presented Son et Lumiere at the Red Fort in New Delhi. But then, the actor gave voice for the Mughal Emperor. Helmed by Dora-winning opera director Tom Diamond, and penned by playwright John Murrel, Taj also features Kathak choreographed by Kumudini Lakhia and sets created by Philip Silver.
A mix of poetry, music, dance and multi-media projection, the team will soon be embarking on a world tour. Kabir is looking forward to performing the play across the world. “It’s a great team to collaborate with and Lisa is a ray of sunshine to work with,” he says.