Blame it on Yashraj is a hilarious story of a Punjabi/Bengali family caught up in the whirlwind of a wedding getting bigger and bigger by the day, when their darling daughter decides to marry a Muslim boy. Innovatively mounted, with fast changing video walls as backdrops, every scene and every emotion enhanced with music and dances, hilarious musical parodies of popular Bollywood chartbusters, an ensemble cast of well-known stage and TV artists (Ananth Mahadevan, Jayati Bhatia, Anchal Sabharwal, Punit Tejwani, Smita Hai, Gaurav Sharma, Palash Dutta and Neel Gagdani), with foot tapping musical score of Louis Bank, the play promises to be a laugh a minute roller coaster ride. The humour in the play comes, not from gags, but from a feeling that - ‘I have seen that, I have said that, I have experienced that in my family!’
We spoke to Ashvin Gidwai, MD and Producer of Ashvin Gidwani Productions, the man who got the show to Delhi. Read on for a lowdown...
Tell us about the concept behind Blame it on Yashraj. How did it come to be?
Bharat Dabholkar and I had been contemplating about producing a show on the big fat Indian wedding and we feel Indian cinema has vastly contributed towards changing the way Indian weddings are perceived worldwide. Blame It On Yashraj is a hilarious tale revolving around the grand spectacle of our weddings. It’s a mirror to your life being shown on stage innovatively. It’s heartening to see the play being loved by families over the past one year. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Yash Raj Films for allowing us to use their trademark – Yashraj. Blame It On Yashraj is a comical portrayal of the family caught up in the whirlwind of their daughter’s wedding which gets bigger and bigger by the day as D-day arrives. From plain Jane traditional ceremonies, to gatherings that make your jaws drop at the flamboyant display of wealth, Indian weddings have definitely come a long way. Especially after Bollywood. Now all we desire is a cloned look-alike of a masala Punjabi Bollywood six day wedding! Blame It On Yashraj is two hours of poking fun at our prejudices, our peculiar- almost feverish behaviour while planning a wedding, the theme, the invitee list, the wedding trousseau, the menu, the décor, the extravagant gifts, exotic honeymoons and most importantly, a constant reminder that you have finally to bow down before the almighty – Indian cinema!
What got you to pick this play?
It’s a great experience working with Bharat Dabholkar after so long. We have always shared the same passion for theatre entertainment value, this time heightened with glamorous dance sequences, choreography with gorgeous dancers, a music score that goes from Broadway jazz to Bollywood parodies, innovative LED backdrop that would change with every mood and every scene. Hence all-in-all, Blame It On Yashraj is an absolute extravaganza that Indian theatre hasn’t seen for the longest time. Blame It On Yashraj is about mirroring today’s society. How everyone wants choreographed sangeets and cocktails. So the play is about weddings getting bigger
What’s next in the pipeline for you guys?
A new play in the very famous Bottoms Up series which relishes 30 years legacy of top notch revue comedy.
What sort of reaction are you expecting from the Delhi audience?
There’s no better place than New Delhi as that’s where big fat wedding theory originated from. Delhi audiences have been very kind to us for most of our productions.
Do you guys plan to take the show to other cities after your Delhi chapter?
We are currently scheduling tours in Asia (Singapore, Hongkong, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta), Middle east (Dubai, Abu Dhabi , Muscat, Bahrain, Doha) Africa (Nairobi, Joburg, Durban, Darasalem) USA, UK and Canada. In addition to this we plan to tour extensively around India.
Give us 5 reasons as to why NO one in Delhi should miss Blame it on Yashraj
1. Refined actors
2. Great music
3. Family entertainer
4. Mind blowing sets
5. Out of the box comedy
We spoke to Ashvin Gidwai, MD and Producer of Ashvin Gidwani Productions, the man who got the show to Delhi. Read on for a lowdown...
Tell us about the concept behind Blame it on Yashraj. How did it come to be?
Bharat Dabholkar and I had been contemplating about producing a show on the big fat Indian wedding and we feel Indian cinema has vastly contributed towards changing the way Indian weddings are perceived worldwide. Blame It On Yashraj is a hilarious tale revolving around the grand spectacle of our weddings. It’s a mirror to your life being shown on stage innovatively. It’s heartening to see the play being loved by families over the past one year. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank Yash Raj Films for allowing us to use their trademark – Yashraj. Blame It On Yashraj is a comical portrayal of the family caught up in the whirlwind of their daughter’s wedding which gets bigger and bigger by the day as D-day arrives. From plain Jane traditional ceremonies, to gatherings that make your jaws drop at the flamboyant display of wealth, Indian weddings have definitely come a long way. Especially after Bollywood. Now all we desire is a cloned look-alike of a masala Punjabi Bollywood six day wedding! Blame It On Yashraj is two hours of poking fun at our prejudices, our peculiar- almost feverish behaviour while planning a wedding, the theme, the invitee list, the wedding trousseau, the menu, the décor, the extravagant gifts, exotic honeymoons and most importantly, a constant reminder that you have finally to bow down before the almighty – Indian cinema!
What got you to pick this play?
It’s a great experience working with Bharat Dabholkar after so long. We have always shared the same passion for theatre entertainment value, this time heightened with glamorous dance sequences, choreography with gorgeous dancers, a music score that goes from Broadway jazz to Bollywood parodies, innovative LED backdrop that would change with every mood and every scene. Hence all-in-all, Blame It On Yashraj is an absolute extravaganza that Indian theatre hasn’t seen for the longest time. Blame It On Yashraj is about mirroring today’s society. How everyone wants choreographed sangeets and cocktails. So the play is about weddings getting bigger
What’s next in the pipeline for you guys?
A new play in the very famous Bottoms Up series which relishes 30 years legacy of top notch revue comedy.
What sort of reaction are you expecting from the Delhi audience?
There’s no better place than New Delhi as that’s where big fat wedding theory originated from. Delhi audiences have been very kind to us for most of our productions.
Do you guys plan to take the show to other cities after your Delhi chapter?
We are currently scheduling tours in Asia (Singapore, Hongkong, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta), Middle east (Dubai, Abu Dhabi , Muscat, Bahrain, Doha) Africa (Nairobi, Joburg, Durban, Darasalem) USA, UK and Canada. In addition to this we plan to tour extensively around India.
Give us 5 reasons as to why NO one in Delhi should miss Blame it on Yashraj
1. Refined actors
2. Great music
3. Family entertainer
4. Mind blowing sets
5. Out of the box comedy