Prasoon Joshi Talks About Penning The Script For The Magnum Opus Rajadhiraaj

It’s mid-afternoon on a Thursday, and Prasoon Joshi is looking relaxed. He’s sitting in a guest room at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) complex, totally aware that in a short while, his attention will be totally focused on the next performance of Rajadhiraaj: Love. Life. Leela., a musical theatre play based on the life of Lord Krishna. He’s donned other hats before, from being a successful advertising personality to a much-admired lyricist, but his latest project is a first-time experience.

Joshi has written the entire script of Rajadhiraaj, besides penning the lyrics of the songs. The play, which is running at the NMACC Grand Theatre from August 15 to September 5, has been conceptualised and created by Dhanraj Nathwani, and directed by Shruti Sharma. Sachin-Jigar have composed the music, and Bhoomi Nathwani is the executive producer. Over 40 actors and 60 dancers are part of the project, where the major roles have different performers.

“I haven’t written a musical before. So when the Nathwani family approached me, I took up the challenge. They are Krishna devotees, and were very passionate about this project,” says Joshi. He adds, “I hail from Almoda in Uttarakhand, a state known for its spirituality. I myself have been a spiritual person, and have been raised in an environment where literature has been given importance. So this was a perfect way to expand my horizon.”

Rajadhiraaj delves into the untold stories of Shri Krishna from Viraj to Mewar and Mathura to Dwarka. It intertwines his journeys as Shreenathji and Dwarkadheesh, brought together on stage for the very first time. Says Joshi, “A lot has been written about Shri Krishna, and the Leela itself is so vast. One of the challenges was what to retain and what to leave. I haven’t focused too much on the Bhagavad Gita, because of its length. But I have written that part, and have enough material for another musical play. Actually, two more plays.”

Joshi says his first objective was to completely immerse himself in Rajadhiraaj. He says, “Even when I write film songs, I try and learn as much as I can about the subject. When I wrote songs for Taare Zameen Par, I studied about people with learning disabilities. When I wrote for Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, I read about how sportsmen conducted their lives.” Besides these films, Joshi has written hit songs like Shubha Mudgal’s Ab Ke Saawan and Mann Ke Manjeerey, and Silk Route’s Dooba Dooba, besides working with A.R. Rahman on songs from Rang De Basanti, Ghajini and Delhi-6.

In the case of Rajadhiraaj, he spoke at length to many scholars and researchers. He points out, “I went to the temples of Nathdwara and spoke to the scholars there. I read a lot of Krishna literature and picked up interesting stories.”

Once the basic flow was ready, the task was on how much to convey through dialogue and how much through song. There were also the elements of how much creative licence to use without affecting the dignity of the subject, and how to make the language accessible to everybody in the audience. “If I felt a stretch of dialogue is getting boring or unengaging, I would introduce a song,” he says.

For this, Joshi says, it was essential to work in tandem with director Shruti Sharma and music directors Sachin-Jigar. He elaborates, “It was a team effort. Sachin-Jigar and I went back and forth with the music. Shruti, the director, is younger than me. She looks up to me because of my experience. She is a quick learner, and is very hard-working. And she’s a good listener. So it was great collaborating with her.”

The musical features the work of production designer Omung Kumar, costume designer Neeta Lulla, and choreographers Bertwin D’Souza and Shampa Gopikrishna, with story research by Raam Mori. Parthiv Govil and Vinay Rachh are the creative producers.

Once the first run is over, Joshi wants to focus on songs for a musical biopic he’s signed up for, though he cannot reveal details. He’s also working on his book of poetry.

How does he balance his songwriting and scriptwriting with his regular profession in advertising, as CEO of McCann Worldgroup India and Chairman Asia Pacific of McCann Erickson? He says, “Coming from a middle class family, we learnt how to fend for ourselves after a certain age. Advertising was ideal for me because of the creativity. I love telling stories, and I love putting a different spin on subjects. That’s essential in advertising.”

Joshi takes the example of the Air-India safety video. He explains, “We’ve tried to explain safety instructions through different Indian dance forms. Thus for tying seat belts, there is Bharatnatyam. For telling people not to smoke, we use Kathakali. This was an unusual approach, but we also got the element of Indian culture through the film. The video has received a fantastic response.”

Whether it’s advertising or writing, Joshi says he is a believer of Indian tradition, and its cultural wealth. “We have so many stories to great stories to tell,” he concludes, as he gets ready to leave for the main auditorium.