Revisitng Bollywood’s bygone jazz era

Paying a fitting tribute to the forgotten jazz masters who used to adorn backgrounds of most Bollywood OSTs during the 50s and 70s, a play titled Bombay Jazz entertained a packed audience at one of the five stars in the city on Friday.
Organised by Qadir Ali Baig Theatre Foundation to commemorate the 33rd death anniversary of the legendary theatre personality, the play narrated the story of a nameless popular jazz musician’s last days — sunk into oblivion and poverty-stricken with no friends.
Directed by Etienne Coutinho and written by Ramu Ramanathan, the play had Denzil Smith playing the protagonist. The story revolves around Denzil recounting his life story to a young student (played by Rhys Sebastian D’Souza), about his glory days and why today, he prefers silence over music. Denzil stole the show with his powerful performance. Rhys, the grandson of the renowned cello player Sebastian D’Souza, excelled in the role of the obedient student. When the curtains drew, the duo received a well-deserved standing ovation from the enthusiastic audience.