Living the Bollywood dream

Chelsa D'Lima (right) got her chance to perform alongside Bollywood A-lister Aditi Bhagwat after she was spotted at the ASB Polynesian Festival this year. Photo / Richard Robinson

As a child in Mumbai, Chelsa D'Lima dreamed of becoming a Bollywood superstar.

But it took a move to New Zealand to bring the 15-year-old Lynfield College student a step closer to her ambition.

Tonight, Chelsa will perform in the stage musical Dreamgirls of Bollywood after having been spotted by producer Raman Khanna at the ASB Polynesian Festival this year.

"I never knew or dreamt that such an opportunity will be coming my way when we decided to move to New Zealand," Chelsa said.

"I still can't believe that I will be dancing alongside Bollywood stars like Aditi [Bhagwat] and Humera [Almas]."

Chelsa moved to Auckland in 2002 with her parents, who will be in the audience tonight.

"It is definitely every Indian girl's dream, being part of Bollywood. And what can I say, this is like a dream come true for me," she said.

Dreamgirls of Bollywood tells the tale of a simple girl, played by Bollywood star Aditi, who dreams that her expertise in dance will get her to the top league of reigning divas.

"I guess you can say it tells a story that every Indian girl can identify with through a song and dance routine," said Aditi, who has starred in movies such as Chalu Nawara Bholi Baiko and Dombivili Fast.

"The reality is, competition to get noticed or talent spotted is really tough in India, where the population is 1.2 billion, unlike Auckland's 1.2 million. But when you're a star, it's really a big thing."

Aditi, who has a classification as an "A-Grade Artist" by India's Council for Cultural Relations, said she was enjoying being relatively unknown in New Zealand.

"Back home, it would be impossible to walk down the street without being stopped by fans, and some would even poke you to see if you are real," she said.

Producer Raman Khanna said the show would introduce New Zealanders to the glitz and glamour of Bollywood through the different Indian traditional dance routines.

"For Indians, there are only two sources of entertainment - Bollywood and cricket," Mr Khanna said.

"So giving Kiwis an insight into Bollywood is taking them into a big part of our Indian culture, and Dreamgirls pays tribute to the journey of Bollywood films in the grandeur of theatre."

The rhythm and dance musical, showcasing 24 dancers and musicians from India, will also feature at least five locals.

Besides Chelsa, the others are Sharmista Chakraborty, Jannat Kaur, Monisha Kumar and Ratna Venkat.

As well as Auckland, the musical will play in Hamilton and Wellington.

Mr Khanna said the show's costumes and dance moves were bold, daring and even a little controversial, and that the show would shatter the stereotype that Indian women were just sari-clad and docile.