Jaspreet Singh Ahluwalia worked in the US for some years.
By Rajiv Theodore
NEW DELHI: An artist from Delhi who has studied, performed and worked in the United States is trying to bring a musical entitled ‘Turban’D – The Musical’ stylized on the joie de vivre of Broadway musicals, to India.
Jaspreet Singh Ahluwalia – Jazz to his friends – says the musical revolves around the character Kewal Singh. Kewal is a Sikh boy with big dreams of making it big in Bollywood. The musical is about his journey in tinsel town; the rejections, the struggles, little victories, dance, drama, a love story, too.
The idea behind the project is to address the stereotypes that society has formed of Sikhs, Ahluwalia told The American Bazaar in an interview. Where talent, passion, experience, knowledge and hard work should decide your future, sometimes elements like color, religion and aesthetics play a bigger role, he said.
“Turban’D – The Musical is a 90 minute production aimed to thrill the audiences with every element of drama, humor, excitement and passion. It is inspired by the very foundation of Broadway musicals and aims to take the tradition to India to get a new avatar and spread its wings into the world soon,” said the 28-year-old strapping Sikh from Delhi.
Ahluwalia spent more than two years in New York. ‘Turban’D – The Musical’ is actually very close to his heart as it’s something born out of his experiences as a Sikh living in New York. The musical has bits and pieces of his actual experiences in life in the Big Apple.
Ahluwalia says from the moment he stepped in New York, he performed various shows all over which was appreciated for his understanding of stagecraft and production.
He also traveled to the Virgin Islands, Indianapolis, Portland and many more cities, to gain exposure. He helped design and run lights and sound for various events, taught in well-known schools in Jersey City and performed in desi cultural events as well. Some of his early success came at St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, for “Bollywood Night” – an annual celebration. He studied stage techniques with some ex-Cirque du Soleil artist in Las Vegas, Nevada.
“Right from being an impressionable youngster I had always been inspired by musical theatre,” says Ahluwalia.
He recalls the days when growing up in New Delhi, studying in Springdale’s School, he participated in an annual cultural showcase every winter. Along with students from Modern School, Barakhamba Road and The Heritage School, Gurgaon, he adapted some popular Disney themed musical productions, on stage.
“Beauty and the Beast, Peter Pan, Tangled, Frozen, Stomp and Footloose are some of the productions I have replicated at a large scale in these schools and has been widely appreciated,” said Ahluwalia.
At school he was popular more as a singer. Having sung with Harshdeep Kaur and Akriti Kakkar (successful Bollywood playback singers now), his voice was appreciated. Dancing came in much later and so did acting.
“I had to work most on dancing as it helped me find new ways of expressing emotions, purely through the form of movement,” says Ahluwalia.
Soon, he realized, any form of art has to be presented in a tasteful manner to be called an art. He started exploring his ways through light design by sharing the platform with the renowned Bollywood choreographer Ashley Lobo. He was also mentored by some good teachers – Anthony Noah – Ballet; Tino Sanchez – Modern Jazz; Maria Teresa – Contemporary; Gabor Sziraky – Ballet; and Janet Reed – Afro Jazz.
It was during a selection of artists for a new musical ‘Kingdom of Dreams’ when his mentor decided that Ahluwalia was not aesthetically fit for the musical production, in the year 2011. This set back also was his first inspiration, giving birth later to ‘Turban’D’.
Earlier this year, when he attended some classes with Michelle Barber, he was appreciated for his dancing abilities and intricate musicality.
“I felt the fear of the unknown, but soon when I started dancing, Michelle called me in the front of the class and said, “India, come here”, only not knowing my name until then since it was my first class. I will always remember that moment and will forever have a special place for Michelle in my heart,” he said.
“From being a student, to a dancer, then a choreographer/singer/actor, to a teacher and now to a director of a musical theatre production, my journey might have been slow, but I know I’m on the right path and I believe in what I’m doing,” said Ahluwalia.
Ahluwalia is relying upon crowdfunding to see his project come true.
“A lot goes into making a musical, starting from paying the artists to booking a venue where everyone would like to come watch us perform, technical support, music, sets, costumes, etc,” he explained, adding, “And I don’t want to hold back on any aspect. Since I aim to first produce the musical in Delhi, and then tour around the world, we have put the expected funds to be $20,000.”
(This post was updated on June 13, 2016, inserting new material).