MUMBAI, MARCH 7: Ending the long wait, director Shekhar Kapur on Tuesday unveiled the Bombay Dreams stage musical project at Hotel Taj Mahal here. The musical will see an exciting collaboration between internationally renowned theatre director Andrew Lloyd Webber and ace music director A R Rahman.``We are here to announce a musical stage production called Bombay Dreams that Andrew will direct and Rahman will compose music for, which we intend to put up in India and across the world,'' Kapur told reporters. The production, inspired by Bollywood, is expected to have a large Asian cast. ``I need to check with our stars if any of them can sing for it. I'll call Shah Rukh Khan and Hrithik Roshan today,'' joked Kapur. But he confirmed that a talent search for qualified Asians had begun. ``We're going to be auditioning for people in every nook and cranny,'' added Webber.Describing Rahman as among the ``most extraordinary musical talents in India who has always kept true to his roots,'' Webber said this would be the first time he was inviting another composer to write a musical for stage. Added Kapur, ``When Cate Blanchett visited India last year, she took back several Indian sounds, and since then, she's been badgering me to get Rahman to score music for Hollywood films.''The ever-laconic Rahman said that he would be concentrating on wrapping up his film assignments, including Aamir Khan's Lagaan, Shyam Benegal's Zubeida and Deepa Mehta's Water to concentrate on the musical. ``I'm hoping to take six months off from film work so I can focus on this,'' he said.Production details are still sketchy, though. ``Whether Suchitra will be part of this musical will depend on her and Andrew,'' Kapur replied when asked if his wife, Suchitra Krishnamoorthy, would sing for the musical. Kapur also confirmed that he would be directing the screen adaptation of Phantom of the Opera with Antonio Banderas in the lead.
