Award-winning theatrical ‘Life of Pi’ debuts in India; premieres at NMACC in Mumbai

Nita Ambani with cast and crew members of `Life of Pi`

Multi-award-winning international theatrical ‘Life of Pi' made its India debut at The Grand Theatre at Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC), Mumbai, on Thursday.

Having been home to iconic international and Indian productions like ‘The Sound of Music', ‘Matilda the Musical', ‘The Great Indian Musical: Civilization to Nation', ‘Mughal-E-Azam' and ‘Rajadhiraaj: Love Life Leela', NMACC opened its doors to this first-of-its-kind experience - a five-time Olivier Award-winning and three-time Tony Award-winning play.

The larger-than-life adaptation of Yann Martel's Man Booker Prize-winning novel presented a tale of resilience and optimism through a mix of magnificent sets and world-class puppetry.

'Life of Pi' follows the journey of shipwrecked Indian protagonist Pi Patel as he survives 200 days at sea with a zebra, a hyena, an orangutan and a Royal Bengal tiger. The play's wild characters were brought alive on stage by seasoned puppeteers, their choreographed moves eliciting gasps from the audience.

Welcoming everyone on the occasion, Nita Ambani said, "A warm welcome to all of you at NMACC. Tonight is a very special night. We have, for the first time in India and South Asia, the iconic theatrical Life of Pi. When we launched NMACC eighteen months ago, we had promised that we would get the best of Indian and the best of global shows here at the Cultural Centre. It is our endeavour to delight the audience, to entertain them and get the best of the cultural experiences."

"Life of Pi is the story of an Indian boy - his courage and his indomitable spirit! It's a larger-than-life theatrical with amazing puppetry. I welcome everyone with their families to enjoy this show in the festive season - and I wish all of you a happy new year," she added.

Renowned names from diverse fields such as Aditi Rao Hydari, Jim Sarbh, Atul Kasbekar, Anaita Shroff Adajania, Ira and Lilette Dubey, Mandira Bedi, among others, bore witness to this visual spectacle.

Also Read: As 'Life of Pi' comes to Mumbai, playwright Lolita Chakrabarti talks about bringing award-winning book to life