Again Bradford has been in the spotlight, though this time for a wonderfully positive reason. On the evening of Sunday the 9th of June Bradford City Centre hosted a modern Bollywood style extravaganza based on Carmen, the Opera by French composer Georges Bizet. This show was part of Bradford’s UNESCO City of Film programme of events to commemorate the first hundred years of In
dian Film.
This one hour spectacular took place in Bradford’s City Park and was shown live on the BBC’s Channel Three. Both national and international stars of film, dance and music performed this colourful and finely acted performance of theatre and dance. The show also included local performers and audience participants, who created a Flash Mob as part of the storyline.
The fabulous Bhangra dance routines were an integral part of this impassioned musical drama held together by Abhay Deol, the famous Bollywood film actor. Many famous names from the British acting fraternity stared in the cast including Preeya Kalidas, Meera Syal,
Chelsee Healey, Stephen Rahman-Hughes, Rakhee Thakrar and Bollywood Diva Sofia Hayat. This new score of the opera was by the established Bhangra impresario Kuljit Bhamra, who worked on Bombay Dreams.
It was great to see a professionally organised event celebrating all that can be good in multicultural Bradford.
It was an honour for Bradford, a Northern city with a wealth of history of its own, to host this Indian influenced event, which was shown on National Television.
