Divyesh Bhandari on staging Disney’s Aladdin Jr.: ‘Classic tale with a modern message’

Rehearsal stills
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The Brigade School, JP Nagar and Imbroglio Productions come together to stage Disney’s Aladdin Jr. “Jr because it is a condensed version of Aladdin,” says Divyesh Bhandari, the director of the musical. “The original is three-and-a-half hours long, while Aladdin Jr., though with the same story and songs, is 90 minutes.”

Divyesh, with an MA in English Literature from the University of Leeds, UK is a theatre enthusiast with a passion for musicals and the founder of the Imbroglio Foundation. “Imbroglio means chaos that leads to creation.” He has worked with around 25 schools in Bengaluru since 2014. “Rapunzel was our first play. We work with a different school on a different production every year. This year, we have collaborated with The Brigade School. We have done about 30 licensed shows in the last 10 years.”

To mark the milestone, Arundati Nag launched a coffee table book, Imbroglio: Celebrating 10 Years Of Excellence in Musical Theatre. The book, written by Divyesh was launched by Arundhati Nag in May this year.

Aladdin Jr. is based on the 1992 Academy-Award-winning film starring Robin Williams as the genie. The story follows Aladdin and his three friends —Babkak, Omar and Kassim, who are down on their luck until Aladdin discovers a magic lamp with a genie who has the power to grant three wishes. Wanting to earn the respect of Princess Jasmine, Aladdin embarks on an adventure that will test his will and moral character.

Aladdin Jr. is aimed at helping students go beyond body consciousness and rekindle the idea of soul consciousness, says Divyesh. “I am sure the audience will enjoy the musical and be transported to the vibrant world of Agrabah, filled with wonder, adventure, and heart.”

This is India’s first licensed version of Aladdin Jr., Divyesh says. “We have crazy visuals, costumes and sets. It is a classic tale with a modern message.”

While the script and story remains the same, creativity Divyesh says comes in the adaptation. “We visualise and conceptualise it as per our perception and context. For instance, there are dialogues and food that have western references. We have regionalised it with Indian food and connected the story and situations to our culture. There will be a local twist and flavour and we are sure the audience will connect to these aspects of the play.”

Director Divyesh Bhandari
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

Though Divyesh works with Western plays, he has also dabbled in plays that are steeped in Indian culture and mythology. “Our play, Hoga Kal Sunehera, was one such play. It was telecast across 147 countries on August 15, 2023. We do a lot of Indian plays. When we work with schools, they give us a theme to work with. The Brigade School’s theme this year is to celebrate the culture of Persia. Hence, we chose Aladdin Jr.”

There will be 400 children singing and dancing on stage, Divyesh says. “We also have over 500 elements of props on stage and we have tried to come as close as possible to Broadway and Disney production. We have been rehearsing for four months.”

Despite the big cast, the children will not be cramped on stage, Divyesh says. “One reason for that is we chose one of the biggest stages in the city, Ambedkar Bhavan and, two, we extended the stage for different scenes and aspects of the musical.”

Aladdin Jr. will be staged on November 9 at Dr BR Ambedkar Bhavan, Vasanth Nagar at 6.30pm. Tickets on BookMyShow