A.R. Rahman's Broadway-style musical in India

MUSIC composer A.R. Rahman now wants to make waves in India after the huge success of the Lord of the Rings musical in London¢s West End.

"Yes, it will be very soon," Rahman said at the Jet Airways-sponsored gala launch of the 'Lord of the Rings' compact disc in London Monday.

Rahman said his plan is to create an original musical play - of the kind seen in London and New York - to be put up on an Indian stage, most probably in Haryana, near Delhi.

The staging will hinge on plans by Indian events management and entertainment company Wizcraft to develop an entire town near Delhi, patterned after Las Vegas, Rahman told in an interview.

"There will be a big theatre, that's all good news. It's good to see people opening up," he said.

Although Rahman is keeping his plans tightly wrapped, it is aimed at linking Indian tourism with a modern musical stage, just as London's West End attracts millions of international tourists.

"A lot of things are too early to say, let's hope for the best."

Whether the original musical will be on the scale of London's musicals remains to be seen - Rahman himself prefers something on the scale of "Lion King", based on a popular Disney film.

"Lord of the Rings", the most expensive West End production, is an eye-popping spectacular that cost 12 million pounds (about Rs.950 million) to put up. On any given night there are 226 people - from computer programmers to actors - involved in the show, which brings British author J.R.R Tolkien's fantasy epic to life.

But Rahman, who has breathed life into the cult classic with his music, said he has made a "u-turn" after his stint with West End and Hollywood - he scored the music for 'Elizabeth: the Golden Age' - and is now looking at India.

Rahman wants Indian audiences to feel the thrill of a Broadway musical play. So the music maestro will soon start working on an original story for a mega Broadway to be shown to Indian audiences, before taking it aboard. It will have international standards and participants in terms of cast and crew. But Indians will probably be in the lead.

"I've been given great respect in India. It's time for me to give back," he said in the interview.

Rahman, who had launched his music production company K.M. Music and a music school in Chennai, has never lost an opportunity to repay his countrymen for his success.