The musical spectacle Bharati, created by Gashash Deshe, returns to Toronto and The Arts Scene had a wonderful opportunity to speak with Bhavna Pani and Rahul Vohra, lead cast members of the show.
Bharati has a cast comprised of dancers, actors, singers, acrobats and musicians, who pool together their talent to present the various different cultural elements of India, to tell a story of love and home coming. The show tells the story of Siddhartha (Sara Muthu Saravanan), an Indian-born engineer raised in the United States, who returns to India for work-related project. Distanced from India and its many cultures, Siddhartha finds himself attracted to a mysterious Indian woman named Bharati (Bhavna Pani). As she introduces him to the wonders of India, Siddhartha begins to understand who he truly is, as well as the true meaning of love. The complete show is narrated by Rahul Vohra.
Bhavna Pani has been immersed in the world of dance since she was 6 years old. She is trained in many forms of classical Indian dance such as Kathak and Odissi, and other forms of dance including Contemporary Modern, Jazz and Ballet. In addition, Pani has been involved in many films, including Priyadarshan’s 2004 Malayalam film Vettam. She has performed the role of Bharati since the very first show and hasn’t skipped a beat since.
Rahul Vohra brings many years of first hand experience and knowledge about the performing arts and film, having been involved with projects such as 2004’s Swades, starring opposite Shah Rukh Khan, and 2010’s Pyaar Impossible! along side Priyanka Chopra & Anupam Kher.
Bharati plays the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts for a limited 3-show engagement in Toronto; February 9th & 10th. For tickets, visit: www.sonycentre.ca
