After dazzling audiences in West End London, 'Disco Dancer-The Musical' premiered on April 14, 2023 in Mumbai at the NSCI Dome and was an instant hit. It opened to rave reviews and audience euphoria and some of the most well-known names in the entertainment world had nothing but praise for this larger-than-life adaptation of B Subhash's 1982 blockbuster. Among those who enjoyed the grand  show were luminaries like Mithun Chakraborty, Tanuja Mukherjee, Nitin Mukesh, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Rema Lahiri with son Rego Lahiri, Sunidhi Chauhan and Anu Malik. Suniel Shetty who brought the show to India along with Saregama was also present. Salim Sulaiman, the duo behind the reimagined score of Bappi Lahiri's iconic tunes were in attendance as well. Babbar Subhash, the director of the original Disco Dancer, was also present.

Dance legend and the original star of 'Disco Dancer', Mithun Chakraborty was also present at the premiere and said, "It was so tough to make 'Disco Dancer' and  so many people made fun of the idea even before it was complete. B Subhash had a great musical sense and invested his faith in me against all odds.  The film  was declared as a flop in the very first week itself  but then it took off in the second week and kept running for over two years! But a cult film  like this comes only once in a lifetime. And now to relive those memories with  this musical has been just incredible. I can't explain what I am feeling right now." .   

Singer Nitin Mukesh enjoyed the show thoroughly and said, "This is a very very emotional moment for anyone who has been associated with Hindi cinema and its timeless music. And to pay such a heartfelt tribute to Bappi Da is a very beautiful and wonderful gesture. I am sure, this musical is going to be a super duper hit because it reminds us all of an era when music was king and brought everyone together. I hope everybody enjoys the show as much as I did."

 Suniel Shetty also grew emotional at the premiere and said," Saregama is constantly striving to promote new talent and I am very happy and excited that the next generation of stars has paid such a fantastic tribute to some of the greatest  legends of Bollywood. What a joy it has been to revive the memories of such an  iconic film where each and every song was a superhit and made you dance or sing or feel something. This musical too evokes deep emotional reactions from the audience and my son Ahan can vouch for that as he too was  among the audience today! This was a film that was truly historic and in the 80's , is supposed to have done a business of  over  a 100 crore! Today, that can be estimated to be over  2000 crore! And yet, after so many years, the  magic that people felt then is still alive.  Even the kids in the audience were singing  'Jimmy Jimmy' aloud!"  

Music director Salim Merchant said, "Suleiman and I were clear that  we wanted to retain the music of Bappi Da the way it was. We did not tamper with the  undeniably iconic melodies as we did not want anyone to feel that we had diluted the magic of the original score. However, we reimagined the score to suit the demands of the  choreography, the action sequences and the movements of the dancers and actors  on stage. "  

The unanimous verdict from all guests was that the musical was not just a perfect tribute to the unforgettable 80s, its popular culture, music, fashion and choreography but also to a film that had transcended many boundaries when it was first released. It became a roaring hit in foreign territories including in Russia thanks to its aspirational story of a street dancer who fights his demons and chases his dreams backed by the blessings of his mother and the faith of his lady love.

The film cemented Mithun Chakraborty's status as one of the most popular Bollywood actors of all time and now in 2023, a spectacular musical has arrived to not just celebrate him but also 80's cinema which was known for infectious song and dance sequences, clap worthy  dialogues and cross-generational appeal. The musical has already taken Mumbai by storm and may even travel across India. The guests at the premiere also included Sunny Leone, Mini Mathur, Arshad Warsi, Nikita Dutta, Akriti and Sukriti Kakar, Namashi Chakraborty, Ahan Shetty, Sanaya Irani, Uorfi Javed, Orry Awatramani, and Delnaz Irani.

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