Inside the Moves, Look & Sound of ‘Legends of Tomorrow’s Bollywood Musical
A Bollywood wedding musical number? Why not!
The folks behind Legends of Tomorrow‘s outlandish sequence reveal how they made magic out of madness.
The Moves
For two and a half weeks, choreographer Kelly Konno prepped for “Séance and Sensibility,” the episode in which a magical fugitive posing as the Hindu god of love (Sachin Bhatt) enchants Zari Tomaz (Tala Ashe, above with Bhatt) into a Bollywood-inspired wedding with an elaborate musical number.
The biggest challenge? Rehearsal time. After the cast rehearsed in their downtime, Konno put the ensemble through their paces for 12 hours before shooting.
“We shot the entire routine in one day,” Konno says. “It was so fast but great, because it forced everyone to really go for it in each [take].”
The Look
Costume designer Vicky Mulholland (who has put together the Legends’ zany looks since the series began in 2016) worked her magic on the cast and background dancers (including Maisie Richardson-Sellers, who plays shape-shifter Charlie, below) with outfits made in-house.
(Dean Buscher/The CW)
“The fabrics and accessories were sourced locally, as we have a vibrant South Asian community in Vancouver [where the show films],” Mulholland explains. “The shop owners were excited to work with us on the look for this amazing musical number that the choreographer and musicians created.”
The Sound
Co-composer Daniel James Chan has an ear for Legends‘ beat, having previously penned the season’s “Magic Times” and “Puppets of Tomorrow” ditties. But in order to nail the cultural vibe of this scene’s song, “I Surrender,” Chan says “everyone involved felt it was important to have a composer with a background in similar music.”
So, armed with lyrics by episode writers Grainne Godfree and Jackie Canino, he turned to Raashi Kulkarni (co-composer Blake Neely’s writing assistant), who has worked around the globe and alongside prominent Bollywood composers during her career.
Legends of Tomorrow, Season 5, 2020, The CW
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