Shilpa Shetty shimmers at Media Conference for ‘Miss Bollywood’!

“Shilpa Shetty lit up Aberdeen with a feast full of Bhangra beats, colourful costumes and scintillating dance routines. Miss Bollywood was a winner with a packed His Majesty’s Theatre, and saw the audience dancing in the aisles as the show reached its stunning climax” – Press & Journal, Aberdeen

The West End’s Christmas lights were overshadowed yesterday by the shimmering glory of screen and stage icon, Shilpa Shetty, who appeared in stunning Bollywood-inspired costume at the Photo Call that preceded the Media Conference for her dance and musical spectacle, Miss Bollywood, which took place at London’s Courthouse Kempinski hotel.  

Media and onlookers at the afternoon Photo Call were mesmerised, as Shilpa Shetty descended upon Courthouse Kempinski in a bejewelled, fuscia-pink costume, set off by a spectacular crystal-encrusted head dress. Shilpa Shetty graced the following Media Conference, elegantly dressed in Diane Von Furstenberg where she was joined by fellow cast members, Wayne Perrey, Anusha Dandekar and Nicholas Brown, to answer questions about the fantastical stage production, in her truly vivacious manner.   

In describing Miss Bollywood, which has been performing to full houses across Europe and the UK, Shilpa Shetty explained, “Miss Bollywood is meant to be light, feelgood, fun, for all to enjoy – a combination of Bollywood musical and pantomime, and the response has been phenomenal, wherever we have taken it. Miss Bollywood is not meant to be thespian theatre.

It combines all of the ingredients to make for a totally entertaining night out. It has received standing ovations in whichever city we have taken the production to. The appeal of Miss Bollywood is universal.”  Set against the backdrop of London, in preparing for the 2012 Olympics, Miss Bollywood is a concoction of riveting dance sequences that could be entered in the Olympics themselves, showcasing a combination of eclectic dance forms taken from the east and west of India, absorbed and transformed into the phenomenon known as ‘Bollywood’ dance, with Shilpa Shetty re-capturing on stage some of the Bollywood film industry’s greatest hits over the past 40 years. In her typically charismatic style, Shilpa added, “I am so glad to have been given this platform to showcase Bollywood in the right way.

Miss Bollywood is, by nature, a dance-ical. It is a cut above the rest, and I’m very proud to be associated with a project like this. It has been a real learning curve for me. After ‘Big Brother’, mainstream audiences got to know me, so it has been great to now take Bollywood to the mainstream, in this way, and to give it that platform.” 

Miss Bollywood also takes a gentle look at the cultural divide between characters with Asian heritage but who consider themselves totally British and those who are from India in search of fame and fortune in Europe’s multi-cultural capital city. The Olympic ideals of fair play and trying one’s very best are the inspiration for the storyline and setting, in keeping with the tone of a spectacular show that places entertainment and wow factor as its top priorities. Shilpa explained, “The UK is such a diverse melting pot of different cultures.

This diversity is reflected in the way that Miss Bollywood has something in it to cater for all tastes. It has had such an amazing response wherever we have taken it, with people dancing in the aisles.” Miss Bollywood is devised by renowned choreographer Ganesh Hegde, whose previous credits includes working with Michael Jackson.

The stunning costumes have been designed by leading Indian fashion talent Neeta Lulla, who often dresses Shilpa Shetty in her films and an array of other A list Bollywood actresses.  Miss Bollywood completes its tour of Europe on 12^th December at London’s Royal Albert Hall.