24th April 2025: Aadyam Theatre, the one-of-a-kind live storytelling initiative by Aditya Birla Group, has forged a new path for the theatre tradition in India. For its seventh season, Aadyam Theatre brings alluring tales from the pages of classics and original multi-genre plays, with some renowned personalities from the theatre world helming them. Since the first Aadyam production, the year-long theatre initiative has displayed a renewed rigour among the audience, and its fourth play for the season, Mumbai Star, directed by Nadir Khan, is all set to debut two shows in Mumbai on 24th May and 25th May 2025, at the St. Andrew’s Auditorium. The theatrical presentation will be brought to Delhi at the Kamani Auditorium on 14th June and 15th June 2025.
Nadir Khan returns to the director’s chair with Mumbai Star, while also curating Aadyam‘s seventh season. Following the grand success of the Aadyam musical Sing India Sing, he now brings another riveting musical drama to the stage—Mumbai Star, an underdog spectacle. Originally written by Devika Shahani, the script has been reimagined with a fresh perspective by long-time Aadyam collaborators Akarsh Khurana and Arghya Lahiri, promising a theatrical experience like no other.
Composed by Dhruv Ghanekar, the musical extravaganza is a saga of an aspiring actor told through song and movement with vivid imagery and meticulously choreographed dance acts. It is a musically rich composition of eight songs and 11 instrumental pieces by the musical genius. A mélange of genres, it is an audacious attempt to seamlessly merge dance anthems, romantic ballads, kathak-influenced dance pieces, and the flavour of rap/hip-hop.
An eclectic mix of music artists has lent their voices to the songs on the Mumbai Star studio album. It includes the Bollywood mainstays Sunidhi Chauhan, Nakash Aziz, and Kunal Ganjawala, the classical and fusion artists like Ravi Chary and Naveen Kumar, rapper Stony Psyko, and the future of Indian pop like Yatharth and Riya Duggal. The actors will breathe new life into the soundtrack, enhanced by the thrilling dance acts, enlivening each track from the album.
Mumbai Star asks a poignant question: Will the soul survive the success that fame brings? It is the story of Dev, a sincere boy from a coastal village in Maharashtra, whose late mother envisioned him becoming a big star. Dreams in his eyes and rhythm in his feet, an opportunity like Mumbai Star, a talent hunt competition, comes knocking at his door, catapulting him to the city of dreams.
The city embraces and tests him. It provides tenderness and pushes him into the trenches of harshness. He meets a love interest that might be out of his reach, a mentor who acts like a compass in this maze, and a well-wisher who saves him from the grim shadows more than once. Will Mumbai defeat Dev, or will he emerge as the biggest star in the city? Will fame shape him, or will he let it define him?
Set against the background of the ancient guru and shishya parampara, breathtaking spectacle, and electrifying choreography, Mumbai Star explores themes of love, struggle, fame, and the ultimate cost of it. The dance musical is an homage to every dreamer who dares to rise in this city and pulls the curtain on the dizzying journey to the spotlight.
Mumbai Star boasts a stellar cast of actors, which includes Avenav Mukherjee as Dev, Abhishek Choksi as Tilak, Arushi Nigam as Koel, and Jayesh Sarange as Adi. Srishti Shrivastava as Laya, along with veteran actor Rajit Kapur as the mentor, are additions to the cast. The supporting cast is a troop of incredible artists like Eden Dolreich Pereira, Jimit Thaker, Melitta D’Souza, Navin Kelamane, Nikhil Thamke, Paridhi Somani, Sonakshi Amitabh, Sruti Vasudevan, Surabhi Andrare, Veronica Jose, and Vinay Bankar.
The visionary behind the choreography of these dance acts is Avantika Bahl, joined by Vivaran Dhasmana, who is choreographing the hip hop sets, and Krutika Mehta, who is overseeing the Bollywood choreography. The Central Sangeet Natak Akademi Awardee, Uma Dogra, is behind curating the enchanting Kathak numbers. Mumbai Star brings together celebrated Indian and Western dance forms, including kathak, bharatnatyam, hip-hop, contemporary, and others.
Talking about envisioning the world of Mumbai Star on paper, Devika Shahani said, “Mumbai Star is very close to my heart. It is a universal story about one of the most important relationships of our lives—the guru and shishya. The seed of this subject germinated from my determination to present the dynamic between mentor and disciple through music and dance. Aadyam is taking a new and bold step in this different storytelling form. I am grateful to be able to tell this story, my third production with Aadyam, and an ode to my mentor, on this beautiful stage!”
Talking about staging a musical like Mumbai Star, Nadir Khan said, “Mumbai Star is my second time staging a musical with Aadyam Theatre. The writers have created this intriguing world that Dev resides in, and to be able to bring that vision to life has been an interesting journey. It is also a tribute to the millions of artists who come to this city to fulfil their dreams of carving an artistic niche. I am thrilled to bring it through Aadyam, the best platform to introduce it to the heartland audience. It has kept the spirit of theatre tradition alive by allowing us storytellers to stage our stories with rigour, passion, and love.”
Through six seasons, Aadyam Theatre has created a legacy of pushing artistic boundaries, bringing forth impeccable talents, and staging some of the most intriguing pieces of live storytelling. The seventh season offers an array of different stories, both adapted and original, each offering a unique thought and vision, showcasing a rich diversity of themes and perspectives.
