India seems to be the flavour of the decade,” Dhruv Ghanekar says early in our conversation as he makes a case for choosing Japan as the home for his next musical, Mumbai Star, before it travels across the globe. “Our musical is a celebration of Indian films, movies, and culture. It’s about a boy, a Kathak dancer, who arrives in Bombay to become a star,” he says of the 19-track musical that continues to travel across the East Asian country before a culminating act on December 19. 

Albeit classical in its approach, Ghanekar, who composed the music of Dhaakad (2022), claims to have taken a modern approach to the composition. “There is an out-and-out Ganpati pandal number, and a [dramatic] finale track. You’ll find sounds of the city in this musical. The ethos of Mumbai has been beautifully recreated.”