Shilpa, a hit or Miss Bollywood in Europe?

MUSICAL MESS: Shilpa's musical Miss Bollywood is a copy of Vaibhavi Merchant's (L) show Merchants of Bollywood.

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Keywords: Vaibhavi Merchant, Merchants Of Bollywood

Mumbai: You have heard of films being plagiarised, music being copied, even outfit designs being stolen, but these days everyone's talking about a Bollywood stage musical whose idea and concept has allegedly been duplicated by another musical.

Tongues are wagging that Shilpa Shetty's musical Miss Bollywood, which recently premiered in Berlin and is currently touring the UK, is an out-and-out lift of choreographer Vaibhavi Merchant's successful show Merchants of Bollywood that has been playing across Europe since 2005.

And there is no denying the fact that the theme of both shows sounds suspiciously similar.

“I heard they are doing Miss Bollywood which is just like my show. I don't know what to say,” says Merchant.

Vaibhavi's show, Merchants of Bollywood is a semi-autobiographical musical that traces the journey of a young girl who rebels against her family of classical dancers to make a foray into Bollywood as a choreographer.

Meanwhile, the Shilpa-starrer Miss Bollywood is a story centered around a young choreographer trained in classical dance, who struggles to popularise the Bollywood brand of dancing in the UK.

Shilpa's musical, produced by the Moranis, received damp reviews after its premiere, and is playing to empty houses. Meanwhile, Merchant believes there isn't place for two musicals on a similar theme, and insists she is on the winning foot.

“I definitely have an upper hand because I have been doing Merchants of Bollywood for the past three years. That's my advantage. But I hope they do well, I hear their initial show had a lot of glitches,” Merchant says.

A Page 3 celebrity in the UK since winning the Celebrity Big Brother reality show in January, Shilpa was looking for the right international project to make a splash with in the West.

With Miss Bollywood she is hoping to raise awareness about the world's biggest film industry in the West.

“Through this musical we are not only going to entertain them but tell them what Bollywood films are all about. What our heroes are all about,” Shilpa says.

Merchant may have won Round One, but will Shilpa's star power bring in the crowds, especially when her show plays in London? Will those very housewives who voted her to victory on Big Brother embrace her musical as well?

It's a question that will be answered in the weeks ahead. Round Two on December 12 when Miss Bollywood arrives at the Albert Hall in London.