Maestros to debut in a film

Pt. Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Pt. Jasraj, Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma to star in a film.

For the first time, veteran musicians from the Indian music fraternity Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Ustad Zakir Hussain, Pandit Jasraj, Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma and singers Shaan and Sunidhi Chauhan will appear in a single Bollywood film.

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Titled, Enter The Showman, the film deals with the lives of people who come to make it big in Bollywood, and at a later stage, end up doing something else. Girish Patel, a one-time copywriter from Gujarat, is directing and producing the film.

“Yes, for the first time in Bollywood’s history, so many musicians of this caliber will appear in a single film. Chaurasia will play the flute, Hussain will play the tabla, Jasraj will lend vocals in his classical style, Sharma will play the santoor and Shaan and Sunidhi will sing,” confirms Patel. Uttam Singh has composed the film’s music and Narayan Agarwal, also known as Kaviraj, has written the lyrics.

Says Agarwal, “I requested these legendary musicians to be part of this film. They have given me their consent and I’m really looking forward to it.” The film’s shoot starts today and will go on till December.

The song will be filmed in Mumbai on May 15. “We’re trying to experiment with a new idea. Our film is not commercial and not for the masses. It is for a niche audience. We’re trying to mix the rich classical tradition of Indian music with the modern,” says Patel.