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When Shakespeare goes Bollywood in London
If William Shakespeare were alive today he would be writing Bollywood films, said Anglo-Indian writer Sam Sterling, the man behind Popo Gigi, a comedy play that blends Shakespearean and Bollywood themes.
If William Shakespeare were alive today he would be writing Bollywood films, said Anglo-Indian writer Sam Sterling, the man behind Popo Gigi, a comedy play that blends Shakespearean and Bollywood themes.
The all-singing all-dancing musical comedy drama, which includes a free Bollywood dance lesson with a top choreographer, is currently drawing enthusiastic viewers to its shows until September 26 in London.
Sterling said, "We have taken the Shakespearean and the Bollywood theme and looked at how they would fit in today. We contemplated how society would behave today and I think if Shakespeare was alive he would be writing for Bollywood films."
Popo Gigi tells the tale of how a Bollywood icon arrives in London with the intention of placing a Bollywood spin on Romeo and Juliet, hoping to take a record-breaking show from Brixton to Broadway and ultimately back home to Mumbai.
Sterling said: "He comes to England to play Romeo but has an underlying motive. He wants to move Stratford to Bollywood because he thinks India is the biggest English speaking country in the world and the best English playwright should be there."
