A dream cast

South Indian stars to stage shows

The stars - Jayaram, Prabhu, Kalabhavan Mani, Biju Menon - along with some of the best artistes from South India are here in the UAE to create a riot of laughter between April 17 and 26. The Hi-Power Golden Dreams, the latest stage show organised by Stage Dubai, is currently on the last leg of its tour of the Middle East.

"What makes this show unique is that for the first time, mega stars of Malayalam and Tamil cinema are to perform together on one platform," said Abdul Kalam of Stage Dubai, the promoter of the show, at a press conference in Hyatt Regency, Dubai, yesterday.

He was referring to Jayaram, the versatile star from Malayalam cinema, and Prabhu, the talented son of the illustrious Shivaji Ganesan from the Tamil films.

Jayaram was recently voted the Best Actor at the Lux-Asianet Film awards for his performance in the Malayalam film Teerthadanam.

Rajeev Kumar, a renowned Malayalam filmmaker who has several blockbusters to his credit, including the recent award-winning Sesham, is the director of this show. He has also been involved with some of the successful stage shows that had toured UAE earlier.

"Unlike the other stage shows, this does not feature only a dance, song and skit medley. We've tried out a very different concept this time; in the sense that the show takes you through a carnival that is being held in a village that lies close to the Kerala and Tamil Nadu border.

A cycle yagna, where a man tries to keep cycling continuously for more than 24 hours, is going on there, and all the songs and dances outlined are meant to entertain the crowd that have come to watch him," revealed the show director.

"Short skits that pop up in between these sequences are used as a link to develop the concept," he added.

With an excellent response to this show in other parts of the Middle East, the organisers are confident of putting up one of the most entertaining performances in the UAE.

The first of the eight shows will be held on April 17 at Expo Centre, Ras Al Khaimah.

After being staged in Sharjah on April 18, the show will arrive in Dubai on April 19 for a two-day, three-show schedule at Al Nasr Leisureland.

It will then move on to Al Ain on April 24, Abu Dhabi on April 25 and finally to Ajman on April 26.